League of two Earths: new world
by athenaFlashLightning
Summary: When Earth-1 and Earth-38 merge into one, teams Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Legends must unite. As new threats rise and old ones return, can the heroes stop those that threaten to destroy the whole Multiverse?
1. The beginning

Chapter 1

It was a quiet Friday afternoon at STAR Labs. Dr. Caitlin Snow was looking over the latest results from her weekly tests on the Flash, Barry's oxygen levels to be precise, chewing her lower lip, her concentration fully on the numbers showing on the screen. When she was done with him, Kid Flash was next. Although neither complained when the doctor demanded so many unrequired tests, both speedsters didn't particularly like these days. They knew that Caitlin was more than a little paranoid when it came to their health. _Being thorough_ , is what the young doctor called her obsession with keeping track of all their vitals and speed records. Cisco always rolled his eyes at her poor attempt to justify her actions. He was thankful though that she hadn't started applying the same treatment to him.

In another part of the lab, Cisco and Barry were discussing ways to improve their awful security. Well, at first at least. How the conversation turned into Cisco complaining about his non-existent love life Barry had no idea.

"I'm telling you, maybe I should just adopt a cat or something." the young engineer told his best friend.

Barry sighed. He was so bored and there was nothing to do. No metahuman activity was so far reported, not even a robbery. Even at the station, it was quiet. Central city was as calm as if someone had drugged it. Barry made a face at the thought. _Not a good analogy._ The Flash was itching to do something, to run, to feel the electricity of his lightning surging through his body. They made him anxious days like this. Days where it was too quiet. Days that everyone should jump at the chance and relax, take a day off. Not Barry though, no. Being the Flash made him aware and cautious of when crises usually arrive. The calm before the storm. And if there's one thing Barry's experience has taught him over the last three years of being the Flash...there's always another one.

"Dude... DUDE!" Cisco yelled snapping his fingers in front of Barry's face.

The speedster shook his head coming out of his thoughts.

"What?"

Cisco rolled his eyes. "I said you're not listening to me."

"Sorry." he mumbled quietly.

"Maybe you should go home. There's nothing going on here anyway." he suggested.

Barry shook his head, then he sighed. God, he hated slow days. Being the fastest man alive made them even slower. He almost begs for someone to commit a crime or a metahuman. Almost.

"Naw, there's no one home." he brushed his long fingers through his hair.

It wasn't a lie. Joe was at CCPD finishing a report for captain Singh, Iris was at CCPN finishing her article before the deadline ended and Wally had classes all afternoon. So yes, the house was pretty much empty at this hour and Barry didn't feel like being alone.

The other man nodded. He knows his friend is experiencing the world in a far slower pace than a regular human, but not having super speed himself is hard to imagine what that is like. Cisco noticed his friend in deep thought and frowned. He picked up a pen from his desk and threw it at the speedster.

"What's on your mind man?"

Barry looked up not realizing he had spaced out. Cisco's look is fixed on him. He sighed again and plays with the pen Cisco threw at him.

"I guess I'm just wondering when all this will blow over."

Cisco looked at him questionably. "I don't follow."

" I mean, we hadn't had a metahuman case in a few weeks. It seems too good to be true. I wonder when the next big bad is gonna show up." he explained.

"I guess you're right." Cisco nodded agreeing too. "There's always one waiting around the corner."

"Not that I want to jinx us or something." Barry added making Cisco chuckle.

"I get it. But, until the next threat shows up we just have to wait and enjoy this blissful, quiet, stressless, normal day. We'll deal with it when it comes. We always do."

"We always do." Barry agreed.

"Alright." Cisco jumped to his feet and clapped Barry's back. "Since we have no criminal activity going on, how about we go to your place for a movie marathon?"

Barry grinned liking the idea. "Star Wars?"

The other metahuman gave him a look. "What else? Come on let's drag Caitlin away from her tests. We'll put "The Empire" first."

#

Caitlin had no idea how her two friends had managed to pry her away from her work, but she was currently watching a space battle. She was never one to like movies let alone science fiction -not even Ronnie had managed to do that- but after being forced to watch them an unmeasurable amount of times by her two nerdy best friends, it had started to grow on her.

Caitlin couldn't believe how her life had changed ever since Barry came into her -their- life. Sure she had lost her husband more times that she could handle and her first attempt to love turned out to be a sociopath and a murderer, but now she felt warmer inside. Before and after Barry was first out of his coma Caitlin was cold to other people, not letting anyone inside her heart, afraid of being hurt like when her father passed away. Ronnie was the only one she didn't keep at arm's length. She loved him with all her heart - she always will. But after it was clear that they were stuck helping Barry fight crime as the Streak and later as the Flash (because let's be honest Streak was a terrible name) Caitlin started seeing life in another light. Yes, the line of superheroism was dangerous, God knows how many times one of them had been kidnapped and used as leverage against the Flash. The feeling they felt after their victories or when someone was saved was more than worth it. It was liberating. And Cait found herself with a warm heart and a few close friends who gave her a purpose higher than her own life. Ronnie might have died saving the world, but she felt more love with her new family.

Just then the metahuman alert app went off. Cisco fished his phone out of his pocket.

"Car crash on 1st and avenue."

Barry suppressed a groan. He had to say it, didn't he? Then in a flash of lightning, he put on the red suit and disappeared in a...well, in a flash on his way to the accident. It was time to save people.


	2. Crime scenes

Chapter 2

The Flash sped through the streets of Central City leaving a gust of wind in his passing. The people who had lived in the city for more than a few months were pretty familiar with the feeling the scarlet speedster left. They also knew what that meant, somewhere people were in danger and the Flash was running to save the day again. Most of the citizens of Central City felt grateful for having a hero as bright as the Flash to protect them. The villains hated him though. Ever since the speedster put on the red costume and started racing the streets, they only had managed to pull off a couple of petty thefts. And yet again, they soon after ended up behind bars anyway. The Flash always caught them. That's the reason many of them tried to take him out of the picture – not that any of their attempts were successful - , the others stayed hidden, too afraid of the man in red.

The Flash ran on the highway at 600 mph, he reached the scene ten seconds after he left his house. Still running Barry could see it. It was chaos. It wasn't just one or two cars that had crashed, the accident was still happening. Barry Allen saw a blue GMC flying upside down in the air. For him, it was as if time had stopped and he could see a young woman in the driver's seat. The scarlet speedster ran to her in less than a second and saw that there was also another passenger in the car, a young boy. Barry put immediately his hands on the car's door and vibrated them until he heard the sound of the door unlocking.

Two seconds.

He reached for the boy first, unclasping his seatbelt and grasping the young boy around his waist he ran him on the side of the road just a few meters away. Then he went back for the mother.

Four seconds.

Putting her down, the young woman didn't even realize she was out of the car. Her arms were still stretched out towards where her son was supposed to be, her face still terrified.

"Jonas!" she cried taking her son in her arms. "What-how...?" the woman was confused as to how she suddenly got there. She was sure the car was going to crush on the top of another one and her only thought was to somehow cover her son from the impact.

Jonas was fully aware as to how that had happened. He hadn't realized the accident, it happened so fast he didn't even have the time to blink. He could see, though, the yellow lightning moving towards his mother's car and _boom_ Central City's hero was standing in front of him putting his mother down.

"Are you ok baby?"

Jonas was too busy looking at the Flash with wide eyes that he didn't answer his mother's question. Concerned, she turned around and her eyes fell upon the scarlet speedster. Her mouth hung open before she realized its happening.

"The Flash!" Jonas said in amazement.

Barry Allen loves moments like this. Seeing the gratitude in people's eyes, to be thankful the Flash was around. Barry loves being his superhero self and being accepted and loved by the people of his city fills him with warmth. As a child and even a teenager, Barry was mostly bullied by kids his age. He was pretty much a loner and didn't have any friends except Iris West – his first crush. He was nerdy and awkward and he talked too much about science and that bored the kids. They considered him a weirdo. Most people still do. It didn't help that his father was arrested for his mother's murder – even though Barry knew he didn't do it. So he was the weird –freak- son of a murderer. After he became the Flash, though, Barry gained a new air around him. Sure he was still awkward and nerdy and much to his boss's great displeasure amazingly dispunctual and clumsy. But, when he was in the Flash suit, Barry Allen the CSI took a step back and Barry Allen the superhero came to play. And the superhero aspect of Barry's personality was confident and playful and mysterious and he held himself with an air of importance that no one could deny.

"Are you both ok?" he asked the mother and the boy.

Both of them nodded, the mother still in shock and the young boy grinning at him with a big smile. Barry felt the same feeling of happiness envelope him. Yep, he definitely loved this feeling.

"Stay here."

And before either one could blink he was gone. The only evidence of his departure was the wind that blew both their hairs back. Jonas watched as the Flash saved other people from their cars and used his super speeding arms to put out the fires, amazed out of his mind that he got to see the Flash in action with his own eyes. Then suddenly another streak of lightning arrived at the scene. It was Kid Flash.

"You took your time." Barry teased his younger partner.

Wally rolled his eyes at his comment. "You started without me. Have you left anything for me to do?"

The scarlet speedster looked around examining the area. He shook his shoulders. The young speedster sighed knowing the answer.

"No, I think I took care of everything."

Just then sirens can be heard, the police had arrived. Barry was thankful for their response time. Wally had a disappointed look while detective Joe West pulled over his car.

"Why aren't you at school?" was the first thing he asked his son.

The yellow speedster groaned. No matter how many times he talked to his father about acknowledging him like that in public, the detective found it hard to comply. Wally was thankful no other policemen were near to hear his father say that. The last thing they needed was for someone to connect the dots about their true identities.

"I heard there was an accident."

Joe gave his son a look that clearly says he'd preferred it if he had stayed at his class. The detective knew well, though, that his younger son was as hard-headed as he was.

"Joe do you have this? I'll be right back."

Before Joe could nod his head, the Flash was gone. Barry checks on the people he saved making sure they're ok. He gets a lot of _thank yous_ both from the victims and the paramedics. The police officers acknowledge him and they nod, even wave his direction. They are all thankful for him being here. They all know if it wasn't for the Flash there would be many casualties today.

He stopped in front of the first people he saved. Jonas and the young mother.

"Are you sure you are both ok?" he asked them again wanting to be certain.

"We are." Jonas spoke before his mother could. "You are so awesome. That was so cool. I can't wait to tell all my friends at school I met you."

Barry's heart warms. He smiled brightly at the boy. In his line of work, he is used to seeing the darkest and worst things human kind has to offer. Seeing the reaction of people like the kid reminds him of the goodness in the world. It brightens him.

"I don't know how to thank you." The mother approaches the Flash with shaken voice.

The green eyes of the hero leave the boy and find her. He notes that she is still shaken by the ordeal and the terrified look haven't left her face, but she's not shaking.

"You don't have to, but you just did." he spoke with a calm voice.

"But still, I..." the woman tries to object.

The Flash stoops to his knees so that he is on the eye level of the boy. "How old are you Jonas?"

The kid smiled even brighter. "Ten." he answered.

Barry tried to make an amused look. He's not sure how much it shows with his face half covered by the mask. "Ten. You're a big boy."

Jonas giggled and his brown eyes spark as he's talking to his favorite hero.

"Your suit is so cool. Is it leather?"

"No. It's called reinforced tripolymer. It looks like leather but it's actually a material that doesn't burn by the air friction when I'm running."

Jonas opened his mouth in awe. "That's so cool! Can I take a picture with you?"

"Sure." the Flash nodded.

His mother took the picture with her phone and the flash hugged the kid before speeding away.

#

Oliver Queen was having a bad day. Felicity Smoak got an alert about a breaking in the Star City museum, but when the Green Arrow and the team got there the place was trashed and the owner was dead on the floor. It was the fifth time someone had broken in some facility and they weren't even close to getting him. It didn't help that there was no evidence left at any of the crime scenes either. No signs of breaking and entering, no fingerprints, no blood, no nothing. It looked like an inside job, but how many inside jobs could occur at such a short period of time. It wasn't that the suspects had organized something like this and one person couldn't work so many jobs. It wasn't that, his gut was telling him so. The Green Arrow's instincts were always right. This case was starting to get on Oliver's nerves.

The name of the dead man on the floor was David Mathews. He was 45 years old, a little bald and pot-bellied. According to the files Felicity found he lived with his husband in a neighborhood in the north of Star City. The man was so clean he didn't even have a parking ticket. It wasn't a personal thing, the green arrow had concluded. The man was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Examining his body Oliver couldn't tell the cause of his death. The body didn't have any wounds or any kind of mark either. They would have to wait for the autopsy and the forensics report. It was a good thing they had Dinah Drake, the new Black Canary, as their inside man – or woman as it was the case.

"What are we doing now boss?" Wild Dog asked.

Oliver sighed, having a nerve wrecking feeling this was metahuman related. The specialists of the SCPD hadn't found any sort of clue in the bodies of the previous crime scenes. He was pretty sure they won't find any in this one either. The Green Arrow hated to admit it, but he had a feeling they were going to need team Flash's help on this one and Oliver hated asking for help. But, if there was one person the vigilante turned hero would want as a partner and counted on besides his team, it was the scarlet speedster. The protector of Central City. Oliver still remembers the young hero coming to him for advice when he first got his powers. Then, he had told the young man he was a guardian angel and Barry had proved him correct. It made the grim man proud to be his friend, his ally, his partner.

"Let's go back." he ordered.

Yep, they were going to need their help. Besides, Barry Allen was one of the best men he knew and the best CSI he has ever met – not that he would ever admit it to him.


	3. Dead end

Chapter 3

Barry Allen made his way to the cortex of STAR Labs with a gust of wind. Caitlin and Cisco, as well as the rest of the people who associate with the Flash, were used to the feeling of the speedster coming and go. Caitlin at some point had grown irritated having all the papers fly every time he used his speed, so she had taken Felicity's advice and bought some paperweights. So when her friend announced his presence this time, she was pleased to see everything remain intact.

"Dude, that was same saving you did out there." Cisco complimented his friend with an enthusiastic grin on his face.

He often felt proud of the speedster's accomplishments and didn't hesitate to voice his thoughts. Caitlin thought the engineer was a bit too overexcited sometimes, but the grin that lightened his face made it hard for her to scold him. It didn't help that Barry was the same more or less. Honestly, the brunette felt like she was their mother when she often had to be the voice of reason and stop the other two metahumans from doing something reckless and stupid. On the other hand, they lightened her up. Her usually strict and composed personality became more fun and open when she was around them.

Barry removed the cowl revealing his whole face. He grinned a little at his friend and then rested his red-gloved hands on his hips.

"Any idea what caused the accident?" he asked both of them. "It wasn't just a random car crash. Something so big must have been caused by an external factor."

Cisco is quickly nodding his head and reaching for the keyboard. A few taps and the surveillance footage from the street is showing up on the screen. As the scarlet speedster had suspected everything was going smoothly when suddenly one car flew out of nowhere like a rag doll. Barry's green orbs stayed focused on the screen observing the video. Caitlin chew her bottom lip as she's too watching the car been thrown over and over again. It really looked like the car came out of nowhere.

"Well, it couldn't be a sonic blast because we would be able to see it and the car would be more damaged even before it hit the other car." Cisco was right. The car was in perfect condition while it was still in the air. "So scratch Pied Piper."

Barry looked at the long-haired man in confusion. "I thought Hartley was on our side now."

"Yea, but you never know when he'll go all Darth Vader on us and starts killing all the Jedis." he insisted.

Caitlin shrugged silently agreeing with Cisco. It was a possibility after all. Hartley Rathaway may have helped them with a few metahuman problems – actually, he had helped a lot when Zoom had unleashed his metahuman army in Central City and of course there was this time with the time wraith- , but had started as their villain. Even before the particle accelerator had blown up putting Barry in a comma and creating all the metahumans, Hartley had been a huge pain in the ass, always looking down at the others and being a jerk. Caitlin seriously couldn't remember one time when her ex-colleague opened his mouth to say something other than to spite. Cisco didn't wonder why the guy had no friends and no one liked him. He was a massive douchebag after all. And then, after Barry became the Flash, he tried to kill him and in the process, he tried to kill innocent people too.

"First, we are not Jedis."

Cisco rolled his eyes at Barry's words.

"Maybe it was Weather Wizard." Caitlin suggested.

Barry shook his head. "Mardon is still in Iron Heights. He couldn't have escaped and even if he had it would've been reported. Besides, Mardon is a drama queen."

"You can say that again." Cisco agreed. "There's no way Weather Wizard got out of prison and created chaos without being in the spotlight. And...the satellite didn't report any anomaly in the atmosphere."

"Yes, but the anomaly should have been big enough in order for the satellite to pick it. As we saw in the surveillance there wasn't a tornado size change so..."

"Ok, Caitlin we get it." Cisco cut in annoyed.

The doctor just smiles innocently at him. "Then if it's not Mardon, what could have caused this?"

"What about telekinesis?" she suggested again.

Cisco raises his eyebrows. "You think Magenta has made a comeback?"

This time Barry is the one who shook his head. "No. Frankie said she would seek our help if Magenta decided to make an appearance. But, I'll check with her in Keystone to make sure."

The hero really didn't want it to be true. The last time he faced Magenta, it was really hard for him to convince the teenage girl to not hurt her foster father. Barry didn't want to hurt the girl and he prayed he didn't have to now.

"Or it could be a doppelganger."

The Flash sighed. _Yes, there's that too._ Why couldn't their lives be less complicated?

#

Dinah Drake walked with confidence into the lab of SCPD. The Black Canary had only one purpose in mind: to find out who was responsible for all the deaths that were caused this week. She had to admit that although she was a detective and a metahuman herself, she found it unnerving every time the team fought a metahuman case. Thankfully, Star City didn't have many of those. It's another reason why she was glad she left Central City.

Dinah found the CSI she was looking for looking over his microscope. Andrew Sterling wasn't too young, but not particularly old either. Dinah hadn't asked the man for his age as she didn't want to seem rude. If she had to guess she would say he was between 35-40 years old. Andrew didn't hear her enter the lab so Dinah cleared her throat. The CSI heard her this time and looked up from his work to meet her eyes.

"Officer Drake. What can I do for you?"

Dinah started walking slowly towards the man.

"I was wondering if you had any news about the Mathews case?" she said with a strong voice. "Anything that can lead us to the bastard who did it?"

Andrew shook his head looking apologetic. "Sorry officer. Just like the other bodies. I couldn't find anything in them. Not fingerprints either, or DNA other than the victim's."

Dinah suppressed a groan. She wanted to find this guy. Oliver might be right after all, but Dinah didn't want help. Especially if it came from Central City. The place had just too many bad memories for her. It was where her partner and lover had been murdered right in front of her eyes. Right before she got her powers. The _Canary Cry_ was what Curtis called it. Dinah wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she never made an attempt to correct the boy. Ok, the newly formed vigilante knew that Curtis isn't a boy, but to her defense, the man acted like overexcited teenager on sugar high most of the time.

"Alright, Sterling. Let me know if anything pops up."

The Black Canary left the lab to find somewhere where no one could hear her to call the team. The Green Arrow was not going to be happy with the news.

#

Back in Central City detective Joe West had just got off the phone with the Captain. He was not pleased at all with the news he received. Instead, a newly formed headache was starting to appear. This day was going from bad to worse very quickly. The detective pushed some buttons on his phone and called his foster son. He was glad Wally went back to his class after the look he gave him back at the scene. At least he hoped he did, the young man was as unpredictable and stubborn as he was at his age.

"Hey, Joe." Barry's voice greeted him.

"Hey, Bar. I have some bad news."

The hero groaned. "What is it?"

"Mardon broke out of Iron Heights last night."

"I knew it." He heard Cisco exclaim on the background.

Barry sighed and rubbed his forehead. This was not good. Not good at all. Mardon was unpredictable and wanted a good show. Last time he tried to take down the Flash, he had joined forces with the Trickster and Captain Cold –although Snart had refused his invitation to wreck chaos in Central City and try to go after the scarlet speedster. It was Christmas and the duo had distributed gifts to a thousand random children. He had lured Barry in the middle of the city's square. He wanted the people to see their hero going down. Barry was curious as to why the villain hadn't show at the incident to take the glory, but he was sure he will show up again. Mardon was the revengeful type. He will come after the Flash soon enough.

"How did he escape?" he asked.

Joe sighed. "That's the other bad news. All the cameras were shorted out and the guards were knocked out before they could report it."

"That's not good." Cisco commented.

"It gets worse."

"How much worse?" Caitlin was quietly freaking out.

"There's no sign of the break in. It was as if Mardon just vanished from his cell. Singh wants you to come and take a look around, see if you can find any evidence."

Barry nodded sighing. He dove his fingers through his hair before responding to his foster father. "Alright. I'll be right there."

Iron Heights isn't a place Barry Allen was comfortable or excited to be visiting. After his father had spent fifteen years in this place for a crime he didn't commit and Barry having to come to visit him as often as he could, the place left a bitter feeling in the young man's stomach. But work was work and the CSI found himself coming to this place to work cases even more often. Iron Heights was always considered one of the most secure prisons in the country. It's ironic how often criminals escape from it nowadays.

Barry showed his CSI badge to the officer outside and the man let him inside. It doesn't take him long to find Joe. He was interviewing a guard as he approaches.

"Hey Bar. Come with me." Joe waved his hand signaling the young man to follow him.

"So, this is the cell Mardon was in. And all the cameras from here to outside are broken." Joe explained as Barry nodded his head taking the information in. "I know it's not much to go on, but see if you can find anything."

Joe patted Barry on the back and leaves after that, leaving the speedster to work in silence. Barry set his kit on the floor and took out some latex gloves to wear. Before he moved to take a look around the cell Mardon was in his cell phone rung. The Flash frowned. It was Felicity.

"Hey Felicity. What's up?" he greeted his hacker friend from Star City.

"Hi, Barry, I'm good. And you?" her enthusiastic voice echoed through the phone.

"I'm fine as well. What can I do for you? Is there something you need?"

Barry was curious to say the least. It's not often he gets a call from his friends in Star City and when he does, it's mostly because they need something to help them with some villain they are after. Usually, though, the blonde computer wiz called Cisco at STAR labs, so for her to call the scarlet speedster directly, she either just wants to catch up, or something else is going on.

"Yes, actually. We have a case – well more like six cases- but we have nothing to go on, no evidence no sign of anything and the police can't find anything either and the CSI is useless and the coroner can't find anything either and the bodies just keep dropping and they'll keep dropping if we don't find that son of a bitch, but we can't find him and Oliver is losing it and he really didn't want to call for your help, but we didn't really have a choice and.."

"Felicity." Barry interrupted Felicity's rumble. "I literally didn't understand anything you just said to me. Let's go again. Just...take it slow this time."

"Yea, yea of course. You see, someone is breaking into facilities and steals and kills people. But the weird thing is that wherever this guy goes he doesn't leave anything behind and no one can figure out how he kills the dead guys." she tried to explain.

Barry frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Neither the coroner nor the forensic at SCPD can find the cause of death. It's like the people just...died."

"That's weird." Barry mumbled.

Barry could imagine Felicity nodding as she made an agreeable sound.

"So we think this guy is a metahuman and somehow he does what he does, so we kinda hoped you could come over and take a look at the dead body, maybe the crime scene? We really need to find this guy and we have nothing to go on. Oliver thinks, and I agree, that the only one who could find something is you. You know how to look for the impossible clues, the guy the police has is useless."

Barry sighed. Felicity sounded worried and she was right to be. Whoever this person is, is extremely dangerous. He tried to think of any metahuman he has encountered in the past that can do what Felicity described, but the CSI has a lot on his mind with weather wizard on the loose, so he comes up empty.

"Look, I have a case right now, but I'll race over as soon as I can, I promise." He told the blonde.

"Thank you Barry. We'll be waiting."

And with that Felicity disconnected the call. The Flash put his phone in his pocket and proceeded to his work.

It didn't take long for Barry to find something. Joe was always impressed by the kid's talents. He might be young, but he was extremely good at what he did. Even though more than half the precinct didn't take him seriously because of his youth and weirdness –some even called him _baby face_ and others _lab rat_ -, none could deny how clever he was. Captain Singh, although he never showed it, considered Barry the best CSI he had ever seen. Everyone at CCPD knew it. Barry combed a crime scene like no other CSI. If there was something to find, Barry would find it. And as his foster son had told him many times in the past, everyone leaves something behind. So Joe was no worried at all.

Barry Allen approached Joe grinning like a cat who caught the mouse. The detective noticed a vial in his hands and raises an eyebrow.

"I take it you got something."

"And someone. Maybe."

"Explain!" Joe demanded.

"This vial contains some particles I found just outside and inside the cell. I'm betting there's a trail of them all the way outside. But most importantly I'm pretty sure we've seen these particles before."

The older man frowned, thinking. "Care to elaborate?"

This time Barry grinned even more. "She has broken into Iron Heights before. Shawna Baez."

Joe inhaled sharply at the information. He saw the picture clearer now with what Barry just told him. It made sense to him, the metahuman could teleport. The first time, she used her powers to break her boyfriend out of Iron Heights, but she ended up in the pipeline. Unfortunately, Shawna had made a run for it after Leonard Snart sabotaged the truck they used to move the imprisoned metahumans when the first Harrison Wells had turned the particle accelerator on.

"Are you sure?"

"Certain. We just have to run a test at STAR labs to confirm it."

Now Joe was the one grinning like the cat that caught the mouse.


	4. Flarrow (part 1)

Chapter 4

As it turned out, the particles Barry found was really Shawna's. The not so good news was that the woman was nowhere to be found. Cisco had programmed the STAR labs satellite to look for both Peek-a-boo and Weather Wizard and it would alarm the team if one of them was found. It has been three days and nothing yet. It made Barry nervous. Iris tried to reassure him that they would find the two criminals, she even took him out on a date, but the speedster couldn't take his mind off of it. The Flash was also thinking about his friends from Star City that needed his help.

"I don't even understand why Shawna broke out Mardon." Cisco was saying. "It's not like they knew each other, or had worked together in the past."

"Maybe they did long before." Wally offered. "Maybe they knew each other as children or something."

Caitlin had a thoughtful look on her face. She played with the power necklace Cisco and Julian had made for her. The same necklace that kept her powers locked up. Julian. Caitlin hadn't heard from him since they stopped Savitar. After everything they'd been through, the man packed his backs and returned to London to reconnect with his family. If they learned anything in their battle with Savitar, life was too short and Julian, with the whole team's blessing, decided to make amends.

But leaving Central City left the CCPD one man short. That's the reason why Captain Singh refused Barry a day off to go help his friends in Star City deal with their problem. So Barry resolved to calling Oliver for a favor, so that he'll be able to do him a favor. The next day the Captain received a call from the mayor of Star City asking for Barry Allen's immediate assistance, explaining to him that he was a close friend of the CSI and had worked together in the past. He may or may not had told the Captain that his request was about a serial killer and with him not trusting the corrupt police of their city, CCPD's only CSI was the only one he could trust. Oliver felt bad about bad mouthing their own police, but if it got Barry to come to Star City he didn't care.

That's how Barry Allen found himself walking down the hall of Star City's City Hall. The security in the building tried to stop him, but they eventually let him pass after he told them that he was requested by the mayor. Barry knocked softly on the door of the mayor's office. He heard Oliver's distant voice telling him to come in and Barry entered.

The Green Arrow was swimming in a sea of papers. If Barry hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have a hard time believing it was true.

"Hi, Ollie."

Oliver raised his blue eyes from the document he was currently reading to look at the newcomer.

"Barry? " he said surprised. "Hi. What are you doing here? I thought we were going to meet at the headquarters with the rest of the team."

Barry moved towards the man taking in his surroundings and sat down on the chair in front of Oliver's desk. He grinned at his friend.

"And pass the opportunity to see you as mayor? Nice place by the way." he nodded at the office.

"Yes, it is." Oliver agreed, smiling too. It's something Oliver realized he does often when he is in the speedsters company. "It's good to see you, Barry. Thanks for coming."

The younger man shrugged. "It's good to see you too Oliver and it's no problem. Metahumans are mostly my problem. I'm glad you called."

Oliver nodded. "I thought, I'll take a page out of your book and be the mature one this time." he joked making Barry snicker. "How many times have you asked for my help when you knew you couldn't defeat the bad guy alone? Two?" he asked rising from his seat.

"Yea, I think it's two. Or three." Barry agreed.

"Come on, let's go." Oliver motion's for Barry to get up.

"Don't you have work?" the other man questioned.

"It can wait. Let's go meet up with the team."

Barry got up and the Green Arrow and the Flash left the mayor's office together.

#

Felicity Smoak was spending her time at the Arrow cave with John Diggle, watching videos of his son baby John, when the two heroes walked in. They had walked all the way form the City Hall talking about how their lives were going recently. Oliver felt happy for his friend when he told him that he and Iris were living together. The archer felt that the speedster deserved to be happy with the woman he loved and was sure that if anyone could balance his superhero life, his civilian life and his love life and make it work it was definitely him. The Flash also told him about the case he's been working on, the escape of Mark Mardon and how Shawna Baez fit in all this. Barry felt a little weird walking to Oliver's lair. He was so used to using his super speed all the time, but he realized it felt nice to take things slow for a change.

"Barry, it's good to see you." the blonde exclaimed opening her arms to hug the speedster.

"Good to see you too, Felicity." He said returning her hug. "How are you doing Dig?"

Spartan shook his hand. "I'm doing good man."

"Glad to hear. How's Lyla and baby John?"

The more masculine man smiled. "They're great. Felicity and I were just watching a video Lyla just send me."

Barry looked at the computer screen, where baby John held an ice cream cone and ice cream covering half his face. He couldn't help but grin.

"Aw, he grows up so quickly." He said and the four of them laugh.

It's half an hour later that the team got a call. It was Dinah informing them that the police had found another body. Oliver shared a look with Barry and they immediately both stood up.

"Where are you going?" Felicity asked Oliver.

"I'm going with him. I'll tell them that as the mayor I'd like to be directly involved with this case. Plus, I'll make sure they won't give Barry a hard time."

Hearing this, the brunette rolled his eyes. "Always looking out for me, don't you Ollie?" he teased the man.

"What can I say, Barry? You are like the little brother I never wanted."

#

"How do you know I'll even find anything?" Barry was saying as they walked towards the crime scene. "I mean, if the CSI you have couldn't, what makes you think I'll have better luck?"

The location they headed was at the docks, at the west post of the city. They were almost there. Oliver didn't have to think the answer to the speedster's question.

"If anyone can, it's you, Barry. I don't doubt it, not even for a second. I remember the very first day I met you. There was a break-in in one of my family's facilities."

"A centrifuge was stolen." Barry nodded remembering the day too.

"Yes." Oliver continued, "The police hadn't even narrowed down what was stolen and believed there were at least six guys involved. And there you were –late- 24 years old, with less than half experience than anyone in the force, having barely taken a look around and had everything figured out. The centrifuge was missing – you even knew the model- that there was only one guy and the super strength. Lance was looking at you like you were crazy. And for them you were. But you were also right."

It wasn't the only thing Barry had figured out. The CSI had guessed everything about the vigilante, but his identity. Where he trained, that he had help, that one of his teammates was a computer genius. The only thing missing was to put a name in the face. And Oliver Queen was right in front of his face.

The two men arrived at the crime scene shortly. The two police officers staying guard in front of the yellow tape to repel whoever from going in, recognized the mayor immediately.

"Hello, mayor." Said one of them.

"Hello, officers." Oliver smiled.

Barry showed his badge to the two officers. "Hi, I'm from the Central City police department."

The officers exchanged looks. They both seemed confused as they take a look at the mayor questionably.

"Our CSI is already inside…" said officer Patrick not sure why the CSI from Central City was here.

"He's with me." The Green Arrow intervened quickly.

The officers nodded quickly and let both of them pass in. Barry leaned in and whispered. "That was harder than the last time."

The other man shrugged. Dinah Drake found Oliver Queen the minute he and Barry Allen approached.

"Oliver. I assume this is your friend from Central City."

"Hi, Dinah. This is Barry Allen, Barry this is Dinah Drake." Oliver does the introductions.

Barry offered his hand smiling brightly at the Black Canary. The woman shook his hand a little weary. Truth be told Dinah didn't expect Barry to look like this. Of course, she didn't have anything specific in mind when her partner told her that his very skilled CSI friend from her previous hometown was coming, but it sure as hell wasn't anything like…whoever this is in front of her.

"Nice to meet you, Dinah." Barry's voice sounded light and cheerful as always. "Oliver tells me you used to be a detective at CCPD."

Dinah nodded her head. "Yes, though I didn't go to the precinct often. I was undercover for over two years and it would have blown my cover." She decided to leave out the part where she was discovered anyway.

The young man nodded understanding. His green eyes were crystal clear with sincerity and genuine compassion. The guy in front of her wore his heart on his sleeve. Just by looking at him Dinah could tell that he was kind, tender and compassionate. One of those rare type of guys she had heard fairytales about. She can't help but wonder what this guy is doing in a job like this. But most importantly, how the hell did Oliver Queen, the brute vigilante of all people, became so close friends with a goodie-two-shoes like Barry Allen.

The metahuman neared the dead body of a female to start working. The other CSI is already examining the woman. Barry set his forensics kit down and grabbed a set of latex gloves. The other man glared at him.

"Hi, I'm Barry. What do we have here?" he asked the man. In return, Sterling glared even more.

"What do you think you're doing? This is my crime scene."

"It's fine mister Sterling, I requested for him to come over and take a look. I thought a new pair of eyes will do the trick." Oliver defended him quickly.

Barry was thankful to have Oliver with him. The SCPD's CSI didn't look as cooperative as Barry had hoped he would be. To be honest, the way the older man was giving him the stinky eye was making him more uncomfortable by the second.

Sterling looked furious. "You think this…kid" he pointed at Barry, "can find something that I haven't?"

The Flash controled himself from rolling his eyes. If he had a nickel every time someone underestimated his abilities… He glanced at Oliver, who in Barry's opinion had the fakest smile on his face. Doesn't he get tired of fake smiling all the time? the speedster would like to know.

"You'd be surprised." The vigilante mumbled to himself. "As I said, a new set of eyes wouldn't hurt. And mister Allen has worked for me in the past. I'm very confident in his capabilities."

Sterling growled quietly and glared at Barry once again before getting up and leaving. The two members of team Arrow walked closer to the young CSI, but not too close so they're not in his way. Dinah leaned closer to whisper at her friend.

"You really believe this guy can solve the case?" she asked Oliver doubtful.

"This guy is the Flash." Oliver whispered back.

With the first glance at the dead woman's body, Barry felt a little sick at how familiar it looked. Horrifyingly familiar. The skin had a blue-ish shade and the tongue was distended and swollen. Barry carefully took one hand in his palm and examined it. Yep, the veins were blue. So blue in fact that if he didn't know any better he would think the woman was beaten to death.

"Oliver." He mentioned for his friend to come closer.

Oliver and Dinah are kneeling down beside him in a second.

"What do you have?" the vigilante asked.

"The woman died from asphyxiation." He explained.

"I don't see any strange marks on her neck." Dinah claimed.

Barry shook his head. "You wouldn't with this meta. Do you see how the veins are dark blue instead of light?" he showed them the arm he was holding in his hands.

"Those are bruises." Oliver noticed. "So the metahuman beat her. Can you get a sample of his DNA?"

The Flash shook his head again. "These aren't bruises. This is the discoloration of the skin. It's called cyanosis. Basically, when a vein loses oxygen it turns dark blue. What you see over here is the result of the entire body not being able to absorb oxygen. In other words, the victim suffocated." He explained. "Honestly I don't understand how your CSI couldn't see it. It's pretty obvious."

"Sterling discarded the idea because there were no other signs of suffocation or struggle." Dinah informed him. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure. The cause of death is histotoxic hypoxia. The reason there are no marks of suffocation on the victim's neck is because she was exposed to poisonous gas."

"But all the autopsy results came up clean? There was no poison in the bodies." The Black Canary insisted.

"I had the same problem when I was after this metahuman three years ago. By the time the autopsy was done the gas had evaporated, so the results came up clean." Barry agreesd, "No wonder the coroner didn't find anything."

Barry removed his gloves and packed his forensics kit. Then he got up and passed the strap over his shoulder.

"The guy you are looking for, his name is Kyle Nimbus." He told them as they move away from the scene. "He was a hit man for the Darbinian crime family until they turned against him. As I said, three years ago I was working on a case where Nimbus murdered the entire family." The scarlet speedster stoped and looked Oliver in the eyes. "Nimbus can turn himself into poisonous gas." He informed them seriously.

"His entire body?" Oliver exclaimed shocked.

Barry nodded. "When the particle accelerator exploded, Kyle Nimbus was being gassed in Iron Heights."

"He was given the death penalty." Dinah concluded.

"Yes. I can call Caitlin to start creating the antidote to the toxin, but Oliver I really don't think you should face him alone. This guy is extremely dangerous."

"We have the metahuman dampener." He argued.

"It's not enough. Nimbus doesn't just use his powers. He becomes them. And I have a guy who can control the weather loose in Central City and a girl that can teleport. And I don't know when they'll strike. The timing really sucks, but I warn you to let me deal with him. I have beaten him in the past and there's no need for you or your team to get hurt."

Oliver sighed as he's trying to get a grasp of all the information the speedster just gave him. Although the Green Arrow was pleased that they now know what the hell is going on and who is responsible for all the deaths, he is once again unnerved by the impossible. Oliver had just accepted that people with superpowers are here to stay and that time travel exists. Even the idea of parallel Earths was confusing to him and he has even met a person from another Earth. Oliver reminds himself that Kara Danvers was an alien, but she is still technically a person…from a parallel world. Now Barry tells him that there's a meta that can transform his entire body into poison gas. The hero would definitely need to sleep on it.

Before Star City's protector could reply, Barry's phone rings.

"Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but you have to come back quickly. There's a tornado in Central City." Cisco sounded worried over the phone. "I thought I should inform you and tell you that Wally has already left to the sight."

Barry cursed silently under his breath. "I'm coming." He told his friend and disconnects the call. Then he turns to Oliver. "I have to go. Mardon just unleashed a tornado in Central City."

"Go!" the Green Arrow urged him and Barry left in a trail of yellow lightning.


	5. Flarrow (part 2)

Chapter 5

Roy Bivolo was blindfolded when he gained consciousness. His body ached and his head felt like it had been hit with a hummer. Rainbow Raider had no idea where he was or how he got here – wherever here was. He was aware, though, of the dampness of the place. Whoever his captors were, they weren't on the side of the law. But it wasn't the Flash either. His prison was different than this. The hero might not have put him in a standard prison exactly, but he was far more humane than to dump him in such an unsuitable cell.

After Leonard Snart had released him and a few other metahuman criminal prisoners of the Flash, Bivolo had left Central City and moved far away, in hopes he wouldn't encounter the speedster again. He resolved by pulling a few small jobs and then pack his bags and leave for another city, preferring to not draw too much attention to himself. He was in Hub City before he was taken. The last thing Bivolo remembered, he was walking down an alley on his way to his hideout. Then he felt a stink in his neck and everything went black.

The silence was deafening in this place. It felt almost as bad as the moisture that pierced his skin all the way to his bones. The villain definitely preferred the Flash's cell now. How long was he out anyway? Was it hours? Was it days? Roy could hear footsteps coming closer. He realized he would meet his kidnappers soon. He could understand it was a woman, from the way her heels clicked on the wet cement. The blindfold was suddenly removed. His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the light. It wasn't bright at all, but Bivolo had been seeing black for however long.

The woman in front of him was tall. Tall even without the heels she was wearing. She was middle-aged, around 50, Bivolo would guess. She was wearing a black suit, a blazer and skirt and her hair were worn in a tight coil. But what caught his attention was mostly the frown on her face. _She is government,_ Bivolo concluded. Now he absolutely hoped he was still in the Flash's prison.

"Hello, mister Bivolo." the woman spoke and her voice was colder than the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.

"What do you want with me?" he croaked.

The woman smirked at him. "Nothing for now. But, you'll be useful to me in the near future. As for now, all you have to know is that you are mine. You work for me. You do as I say. And if you don't..."

"Then what?"

"Then let's just say you'll be dead before you manage to take two steps. We have injected you with a very deadly virus that can be activated by a secure password. If you disobey, the virus we'll unleash will paralyze you and then burn you from the inside out."

Lillian Luthor had a vision. That vision was to rid the Earth from all the aliens, something her son Lex fought years to accomplish and failed. But her plan had failed as well. All because of one little, blonde, Kryptonian. Now Lillian had only one goal: get rid of Supergirl no matter the cost. In the past, the older Luthor had battled Supergirl with every strategy she could think of. She used kryptonite, transformed men into deadly weapons, she even played dirty putting innocent human lives in danger. Yet, the Kryptonian had defeated her. But it was different this time. Now Lillian knew how to defeat her once and for all. To be honest she felt ashamed she hadn't figured it out sooner. Supergirl's true enemy wasn't some other alien or a green rock, but herself. She watched the multiple videos after Supergirl was affected by red kryptonite and went on a rampage on National City. And just like that Lillian knew what she had to do. Supergirl would bring her own destruction to herself. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't find the recipe to create the red kryptonite. Not even her best hackers could find anything on Maxwell Lord's servers. The bastard must have deleted everything.

Lillian was furious, devastated, and maybe even a little crazy. But then she had heard about a metahuman that could make people angry. Lillian wasn't one to consort with criminals, but Bilovolo's abilities were invaluable for her cause.

#

Wally West usually prided himself for his boldness. After a year of being mentored by the Flash, Wally had learned quite a few tricks by Central City's primer hero. Of course, Kid Flash being arrogant and daring, often didn't listen to the Flash and ran head first into danger without thinking, even though the other speedster advised him otherwise. Despite all the courage in the world, Kid Flash stood agape at the two tornadoes in front of him. His mind was telling him to move to unravel the tornadoes, like Flash had told him he had done when he had encountered Clyde Mardon, Weather Wizard's brother. Yet the younger speedster's feet were glued to the ground paralyzed by fear. It was one thing to see a twister in the discovery channel and another to experience it a couple of feet ahead of you.

It was just then that the Flash arrived. Wally thought he could do it alone. Now he was glad the older man had shown up. The scarlet speedster took a quick look around him, cased his surrounding just like he had taught Wally like the Green Arrow had taught him – the hard way.

"Take the people to safety." he told Kid Flash.

"I want to help you. I'm more than fast enough to unravel a tornado." the speedster argued.

The Flash gave Wally a disapproving look.

"I said get the people to safety." he ordered firmly again.

Barry Allen was not in the mood to negotiate with his younger partner. So when he spoke he made sure his brother understood his command was not up for a debate. Without wasting a second the Flash ran towards the first tornado.

"This is an F2 tornado, Barry." Cisco's voice sounded from his earpiece.

Barry didn't reply to his friend. Instead, remembering his first day as a superhero, he ran around the spinning wind. In a matter of seconds, the tornado lost its power and disappeared. The other one was a different matter though. The scarlet speedster could feel its power through the ground. He could barely stand on his feet. Barry looked around hoping kid Flash actually listened to him and evacuated the area. Seeing the streak of lightning coming and go, the Flash blew a sigh of relief that Wally did as he told him.

"Cisco, the other one is too powerful. I don't think I can unravel it like the other." he spoke to the coms.

Cisco looked over the data the satellite was picking and immediately cursed.

"You're right. The satellite is picking up that it's an F5 tornado and it's growing." he told him.

"He has to do something." Caitlin entered the conversation.

She couldn't help but worry about her friend and about the safety of the city. If Barry was unable to stop the tornado Central City will be in ruins.

#

Oliver Queen had decided to listen to Barry's advice and not go after Kyle Nimbus. He had asked Felicity, though, to run a facial recognition on the metahuman. He wanted to know where the man was as soon as the software could locate him. Then he would call team Flash and the speedster would arrive to put him down. It was a simple plan. But when did anything went according to plan?

The Green Arrow, along with Spartan, Wild Dog and Black Canary had hit the streets in order to get details about a Triad shipment. The vigilante had one of the Triad's member hung upside down form a pipe and was putting the fear in him. That's when Nimbus found them.

"I heard you've been looking for me." the villain said, slithering his words like a snake.

Oliver cursed.

#

Back in Central City, the members of team Flash were putting their heads together in order to exterminate the work of nature. Ok, _exterminate_ wasn't exactly the right word, but Cisco couldn't worry about the syntactic right now. Barry, on the other side of the city, had an idea. A terrible and uncertain one, but the only one he had.

"Guys, what does a tornado need to sustain itself?"

Cisco was quick to answer. "Well, it's two things honestly. A warm updraft, and a cold downdraft."

The hero nodded to himself that his hypothesis had been right. If only his next thought would be right too.

"Can I cool the updraft?"

Caitlin looked worried at the engineer. She knew that every minute that passed and they didn't do anything to stop this, the tornado gained even more power. Cisco was thoughtful for a second. Then he shook his head disappointed.

"No. The more you run around the tornado, the more your lightning will feed it energy. You could warm the downdraft, though, if only you could fly up there." he informs his friend wishing Kara was here on their Earth.

But the Flash had another idea. It was foolish really. And very, very dangerous. But no one had a plan B. So he ran towards the twister and after completing two circles around it he stopped and left it siphon him. The current rose him into the air. The Flash avoided a large piece of wood from colliding with his head. _That wouldn't be good,_ he thought. He was dimly aware of his team yelling at him from the earpiece in his cowl.

"What the hell is he doing?" Wally was saying.

"Is he insane?" Caitlin screamed.

"Dude! What are you doing, man?" that was Cisco.

Barry was glad that Iris and Joe weren't at STAR labs this time. But he's sure he'll never hear the end of it when he goes home. _If I survive this._ He quickly dismissed the thought. He had faced far worse. When the hero calculated he must have gotten in the middle of the tornado he started running again, bouncing off the debris the tornado had suck. A few things hit him in the head causing him to get off course. He stumbled. _Come on, Barry! You have stabilized a singularity. This is nothing._ The Flash kept running. And he ran and he ran and he ran. Lightning sparked the dark sky. The wind was strong. He could no longer see the ground, he was too far up. The Flash didn't think any of it. He couldn't linger on the thought that he was far above the ground. That when the currents of the wind stopped spinning he would have no way down. Nor that the lightning could strike him again. He was a special case after all. He didn't think any of that. Instead, he kept his focus on gaining speed. And he ran so fast everything seemed to still.

Then the wind lost its power. The next second the scarlet speedster was free falling. His body kept twisting, as he dove through the air. He could hear people yelling in his ear, but he couldn't understand them. Barry groaned as he tried to stop his body from spinning. The ground was coming fast towards him. Finally, he was able to put himself in a straight line, his head downwards. And then he started spinning his arms creating two vortexes. The spinning wind slowed his fall. The Flash slowed down the spin of his arms as he neared the ground and as soon as he was a couple of feet above he left himself fall.

Wally caught him. Cisco and Caitlin waited breathlessly at STAR labs. They had no idea what was happening. Only that their friend was crazy enough to run up a tornado. They had no idea if he was well. The vitals showing from his suit were unreliable. Caitlin knew Barry's rapidly racing heart was caused either by adrenalin, hurt or exhaustion. She had to be sure that her friend was ok.

"He's ok." Wally informs them.

They both released a breath. They felt tired all of a sudden. Cisco ran his hand over his face and looked at Caitlin. She nodded at him, letting him know he wasn't the only one about to have a heart attack.

"Just come back." she said on the microphone. "I want to check on Barry and then yell at him for being stupid."

#

Kyle Nimbus taunted team Arrow as he stood in front of them with an arrogant smirk on his face. Oliver couldn't think of any better use of the sentence _Worst timing ever._

"Call Cisco." he whispered to Felicity. "Why are you killing those people?" he then said louder.

Nimbus chuckled darkly. "Why should I answer you? You can't stop me."

"Wanna bet?" the Green Arrow bluffed.

Honestly, Oliver just hoped he could buy them some time until Felicity could contact team Flash and Barry ran here. Unfortunately for him, Nimbus had another idea.

"Actually, I would."

Then he transformed into a green gas.

"Cover your mouths and noses. Do not breath him in." he ordered his teammates.

They all did us he said. The Mist flew towards them. The Green Arrow ran further away with Spartan close by. Wild Dog tried the power dampener on the mist coming his way. It didn't do anything. The power wasn't enough to make the metahuman reform to his original matter. The gas was reaching him fast. So fast, that Rene didn't have time to run away. Suddenly, he was thrown down. Black Canary stood above him pressing him on the ground. She unleashed a powerful cry the Mist's way. The sound wave was so powerful it affected the molecules of the gas.

Nimbus found his cells shifting back. He couldn't have it though. He concentrated harder, taking full control over his molecules. The Black Canary used her cry again. It had the same effect. They kept repeating the same thing for a while. But using her abilities so much had its down effects too. The more she used her powers the more tired she became. Her throat started closing.

At some point, Nimbus reformed, needing to take a breath. Being in his mist form was hard. Dinah was too tired. Her scream came out like a whisper. Nimbus noticed. He smirked evilly at the heroine. He knew she couldn't stop him from killing them now. He turned again and launched at her and Rene.


	6. Metahuman villains

Chapter 6

Kara Danvers woke up extremely happy. Last night she and Mon-El had gone on a date and had a great time. More important was the fact that they weren't interrupted once about having to save someone, or fight the occasional villain that popped up every now and again. For Kara, it was the perfect night. Mon-El had come to her apartment to pick her up with a bouquet of lilies. Kara didn't necessarily have a favorite kind of flowers, but after that thoughtful display, lilies became high on her list. They had gone to Kara's favorite restaurant and afterward went to see a movie at the cinema. Kara knew it was a cliche date, but she didn't care. For her it was perfect and she had a great time.

"Good morning." Mon-El sang playfully at her.

The blonde couldn't help but smile at how cute he was. The man reminded her of a big baby, overexcited and eager to discover the world. It was one of the things Kara found most attractive about him. It wasn't bad that he was extremely good looking too.

"Good morning to you too." she said back cheerfully.

Mon-El crinkled his nose. "Hmmm. You didn't run out on me this time."

Kara knew he was kidding. Mostly. The Kryptonian often was called away to rescue people before her boyfriend had woke up. That was something he was constantly complaining about.

"Nope. I'm all yours this morning."

"I like that."

He circled his arms around her and leaned in to kiss her. Kara responded immediately. She loved the way his lips felt on her. They were soft and sweet and they had a slight dominance without being too controlling. Kara didn't like being overpowered. Did that make sense?

After a few minutes, Kara broke the kiss.

"That's nice and all, but we have only ten minutes until we have to get ready for work."

"Nooo. " Mon-El groaned. "Let's skip work today. Let's sleep in."

Kara rolled her blue eyes and kissed his pout. "Sorry, but I have to go to work or Snapper will fire me again. You know, he's waiting for me to slip up."

"Fine. Now stop talking or we won't have ten minutes."

#

Kid Flash arrived at STAR labs with a whoosh carrying an exhausted Barry Allen. Wally didn't stop at the cortex. Instead, he rushed into the med bay where Caitlin was waiting for both of them ready to examine the scarlet speedster. She was worried out of her mind until the two heroes arrived. Now that Wally laid Barry down and saw the older speedster was still conscious she felt angry. Well, not angry exactly, but more overprotective.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she yelled at him.

Cisco actually winched at her tone. Wally looked over at the engineer like he was the one who had been yelled at. Vibe didn't offer him any consolation, his eyes glued at his friend lying on the bed. Cisco had thought that he was going to lose his friend for a moment. That much Barry's stunt had scared him. Barry rolled his eyes at the doctor.

"Cait I'm fine."

Caitlin's eyes widened as she looked at him. "You are not _fine._ You almost died. You could've died. What were you thinking?"

"That I had to stop the damn tornado and this was the only way I could think off. We didn't exactly have enough time to come up with a different plan." he defended himself.

Caitlin huffed loudly. She wanted to yell at him some more, but Barry was right. She hated it when he risked his life and was right to do so. Then again, the doctor was also glad that he made it out alive after all his irrational decisions.

"Barry." two voices exclaimed entering the room.

Joe and Iris had just arrived after Cisco called them both freaking out about Barry been drifted inside a tornado. Iris ran to the bed and took Barry's still gloved hand in hers. Cisco had sounded so terrified in the phone. She actually hadn't understood much of what the engineer had told her. The only thing she knew was that somehow her fiance was in trouble and she needed to go to STAR labs as fast as she could.

"What happened?"

"I'm alright Iris." Barry's soothing voice did little to calm her down.

"Oh, I'll tell you what happened." said Caitlin irritated. "Barry Allen thought it was wise to let a very dangerous twister suck him inside and carry him high up so that he could unravel it from the inside." she spat out, hands on her waist. "You realize how many things could have gone wrong right? " she glared at the speedster. "You could have hit your head and get knocked out. Or worse, killed. You could've been struck by lightning again and so many other things."

She was shaking. She had seen Barry do impossible things, but what he pulled off this time - and without consulting her and Cisco first- had really frightened her.

"I told you, I'm fine." Barry insisted, raising his voice a little.

He was tired of being yelled at. What happened, happened and it was over. There was no reason to dwell on it and start with the ''What if'' scenarios. Iris thankfully didn't say anything but stood beside him holding his hand. Caitlin didn't say anything else either but instead checked his vitals and possible injuries. Joe stood silent too at the door watching the young doctor take care of his son. Cisco moved to his desk and took his slushy, while Wally changed to his normal clothes. Barry was fine after all and despite Caitlin's overprotective nature, they knew they had nothing to worry about.

#

The Green Arrow watched as the Black Canary used her canary cry to fend off Kyle Nimbus, who had taken his mist form. It worked for the most part. Then her power had grown weaker and every time she used it weakened even more. Oliver hated being useless. He also knew he couldn't do anything to save his friends. Desperation grew on his insides. Spartan next to him was stiff. He knew as well as Oliver that Nimbus was going to kill them the minute Black Canary's scream stopped.

They both saw the metahuman change shape and launch at their two fallen friends. The Green Arrow ran from his hiding spot ready to yell at Nimbus, hoping he would divert his attention. Before he had the chance to open his mouth a streak of lighting passed the vigilante. Oliver sighed a sigh of relief at the sight of the Flash having arrived. The scarlet speedster stopped in front of the Black Canary and Wild dog and started spinning his arms at super speed keeping Nimbus away from the heroes. The air created from Barry's arms pushed the other metahuman further away from them. The Flash stopped spinning his arms and then ran towards the villain. This time he ran in circles creating a vortex around the other man. The vortex worked like a force field preventing the mist from escaping. That's not all it did though. Circling around him, the Flash also cut his air support. Nimbus may not have been in his human form at the moment, but he still needed oxygen. Besides, gas was the least stable form of matter.

It didn't take long for Nimbus to reform. He breathed heavily, his lungs needing oxygen. But the scarlet speedster didn't stop running. He spun around the villain, maintaining the vortex until he passed out. It was better than punching him in the face not knowing if Nimbus was tired enough or if his fist would just pass right through him.

The Flash came to a stop. Carefully he kneeled down and pressed two fingers on Nimbus' neck, making sure he was out cold...but not dead. That wouldn't be great. Nimbus may be a bad guy and a murderer, but killing him would be crossing the line. One thing that the Flash wasn't willing to do.

"Hey, guys. Sorry, I was late." he smiled sheepishly at team arrow.

The scarlet speedster reached out a red-gloved hand to Rene. The man accepted it gratefully and Barry lifted him up. The Green Arrow shook his head at the metahuman. _Leave it to Barry to be late_ , he thought. But he was smiling brightly. Well...as bright as the serious man could master. The Central City hero may be faster than the speed of sound – Oliver wasn't exactly sure how fast he really was-, but Barry Allen was late for everything.

The Black Canary dusted her black pants and got up as well. Her throat hurt to speak. Nimbus had really pushed her over her limits. She nodded her head at the speedster, a _thank you_ acknowledgment. Although she would have preferred it if he had shown up a little earlier, she appreciated the fact that he had saved her and stopped the other metahuman. To be honest, Dinah had objected earlier about listening to Barry. She was confident she could take the villain down and meeting the Flash didn't really fill her eye. Yes, she admitted that the man had been a huge help, but his lanky figure and awkward posture made her doubt the extent of his true power.

"Thanks for the save, Red." Wild dog spoke behind his hockey mask.

The Flash nodded his head. He lifted an awkward hand behind his neck and looked at Nimbus then back at team Arrow.

"So...I'm gonna speed Nimbus to Iron Heights. Be right back."

And with that, he kneeled next to the unconscious man and sped off. Wild dog stumbled a few steps behind at the departure of the speedster. The wind nearly knocked him down.

"Man, I'll never get used to this." Diggle and Rene said at the same time.

The men looked at each other, while Oliver just shook his head. He picked up his bow – honestly, Oliver didn't remember leaving it at any point- and walked towards his other two teammates.

"At least you're not getting motion sickness every time he carries you somewhere." he told the other vigilante.

Rene gave Spartan a weird look – which no one could tell because he was still wearing his mask. He tried picturing it in his head, but he couldn't quite believe strong, muscular John Diggle been put down by something so simple as motion sickness.

"We don't all have iron stomachs like you Oliver."

"Wait, for real?"

John felt his cheeks heating up from embarrassment. He gave a pointed look at Oliver. The other man simply shrugged his shoulders only half apologetic. Diggle turned to Rene.

"Yea. You have no idea what it's like one moment to expect a bullet to hit you and the next to be puking your guts out at the other side of the city." he huffs. "I wonder how Barry doesn't get sick all the time."

"You forget that he's living in speedster time –or whatever Cisco's calling it." the Green Arrow reminded him.

"It makes sense. For us, it may be accelerated, but for him, it's in slow motion." concluded Dinah.

Wild dog made a face. It must be really boring being a speedster. Having to always be careful not to use your speed so others won't figure out that you are secretly a superhero. But at the same time not using your speed - or in Barry's case being extra slow- must be torture. Rene couldn't even listen to someone speaking slowly without getting on his nerves. Now that he's thinking about it, he realizes that the speedster must feel really lonely.

"Man, I'm so glad I don't have super speed." he voiced his thoughts. "I'm also glad I didn't let him carry me when we were trying to rescue you from the Dominators."

The Black Canary perked up at the unfamiliar topic. She was the last one to join team arrow and although Oliver, Felicity and Diggle, mainly, had filled her the most important information she needed to know at the time, she knew the group of heroes had many experiences they didn't have time to tell her or it hadn't come up.

"What's the Dominators?" she asked. Even saying the name felt weird on her tongue. As if something didn't quite feel earthly about it. Then as if remembering something she looked around her and asked Oliver. "What are we still doing here?"

"Barry said he'll be coming back, so we're waiting for him. As of what the Dominators are-"

"It's something better to be discussed with a full stomach." the Flash appeared out of nowhere scaring everyone. As if on cue his stomach growled. "Cisco is feeling like going out and suggested you guys come as well. Caitlin suggested going at a karaoke bar we've been to before and Felicity has already said yes. What do you guys think?"

Spartan actually looked like he considered the offer. Black Canary had a mix of emotions on her face. She honestly couldn't decide what to think of the man in the red suit. The fastest man alive couldn't tell Rene's expression and Oliver just looked at him like he had just heard the most stupid thing come out of his mouth.

"You want to go to a Karaoke bar and have fun after you defeated an evil metahuman who could turn his molecules into poison gas, while you also have other two dangerous metahuman criminals loose in Central City?" the archer asked his friend.

Barry shrugged his shoulders. "Why not? It's a good idea. I already stopped two massive tornados from destroying Central City and put Nimbus behind bars again. So I think I deserve a little happy time." Then his eyes twinkled "Besides, the bar we're going to go is one Shawna Baez and her ex-boyfriend visited frequently."

"So you hope she might come there again." Dinah finished.

The Flash shook his shoulders innocently. "That would be a bonus." he admitted. "But even if she doesn't show up we'll still have a good time and relax. Cisco says that our performance will improve if we have fun more often and with so many of my previous enemies making a come back at the same time, I'll need of the fun I can get. So, are you guys in?"

"Oh, I'm in." Wild dog was the first one to speak.

Dinah was quickly behind him nodding her head, a small smile on her face. "Me too. It's been a while since the last time I went out to have fun."

John agreed as well. And with Felicity having already agreed to a karaoke night with team Flash, that left Oliver the only one who hadn't answer. The archer sighed and his shoulders fell in defeat.

"Fine. We'll go change and then we'll meet you-"

"I'll pick you up." the speedster said quickly and then sped off.

#

Kara Danvers walked inside the D.E.O. looking for her sister. Instead, she found her friend Winn Schott sitting in front of a computer. Supergirl made her way towards him and sat down on his desk.

"Hey, Kara. How is it going?"

The blonde frowned. "Not great. My boss hates me. He's been giving me that look that says _"I hope you make one mistake and I'll be so happy to ruin your life and fire you again."_ He glares at me all the time behind these big, ugly glasses. Ugrr."

Kara was really frustrated with the way Snapper has been treating her ever since she got her job back. Not that he was ever nice to her, but now he didn't hide how much he wished she never stepped foot at CatCo. She sighed. There was not much she could do to change his mind. The man was as stubborn as a mule.

"Anyway. Have you seen Alex?"

"She's talking with Maggie on the phone. She went to find a place more private, you know."

Kara nodded her head. Alex would find her when she was finished talking to her girlfriend. She didn't want to interrupt their conversation. Then Winn's phone rang. It was James.

"Put on channel 52. You have to see this." was all he said.

Winn exchanged a side look with Kara and turned to the channel. A reporter was speaking.

" _In more recent news Central City was the prime witness of another metahuman attack. Just this morning two tornadoes, one of F5 scale and one smaller suddenly appeared out of nowhere downtown Central city. The police have revealed that the suspect of this attack is Mark Mardon, also known as Weather Wizard, a metahuman who can control the weather. The two tornadoes seemed to be headed towards the heart of the city, but fortunately, its heroes were there to save the day. Flash and Kid Flash were able to prevent anyone from getting hurt and stopped the angry phenomenon from escalating and reaching further into the city. Eyewitnesses revealed that the first one to arrive at the scene was Kid Flash who was later joined by the scarlet speedster himself. The two speedsters seemed to have a heated conversation before they jumped into action. Kid Flash evacuated the area, getting the people out of harm's way, while the Flash raced towards the tornadoes and terminated them. Mardon is still on the loose, but the police is working really hard to find him. Fortunately, the Flash will find the criminal soon and put him in Iron Heights again."_

Kara and Winn looked each other confused at what they just saw.

"Barry?" Kara whispered in disbelief.

"What is he doing on this Earth?" Winn continued her thought.

Sharing a knowing look Kara made up her mind and straightened her back. Alex made her way to her little sister.

"Hey, Kara. What's going on?"

Supergirl looked at Winn and then at her sister. "Get her up to speed. I'm going to Central City."

Winn nodded, but Alex looked confused. "Why are you going to Central City?"

She founded it weird. Kara had never been to Central City before. Why would she go there now?

"I have to visit a friend."


	7. Night out

Chapter 7

While team Arrow – that being Oliver, Felicity, Dinah, Rene and Curtis – were getting ready for their evening with team Flash, Barry was holding himself from strangling his boss.

"So you're not only telling me that Mardon tried to destroy the city and he had help breaking out of Iron Height by a metahuman who can teleport, but also that you have no way of tracking him down."

Singh was about two heart attacks away from going into hysteria.

Barry Allen looked like a puppy that had been kicked. His green eyes were focused on everywhere, but the Captain. If Joe didn't know the seriousness of the situation he would be laughing his ass out by the expression on his foster son's face. Barry shook oh, so lightly his head.

"No, sir. We don't have anything to follow right now and all of Mardon's previous hideouts were dead-end."

Captain Singh sighed rubbing his forehead. Metahumans gave him a headache. Metahuman criminals gave him a migraine. Mark Mardon was one of the worst metahumans out there. Even without his powers, the criminal had been a difficult case for the police. The only way the police were able to catch him was because of...well the Flash had caught him. It didn't settle right with the Captain. Mardon had to be caught the sooner rather than later before he created enough damage to the city or hurt innocent people. Unlike the other times, they were swimming in uncharted waters. This new player, the teleporter, was a wild card. David didn't know much about her and that unsettled him. And the fact that Mardon had acted so out of character not claiming his glory, worried the CCPD Captain more than anything. At last Singh rested his hands on his hips and looked determined at Joe.

"What about the Flash? Do you know if he's getting close to capturing him?"

Barry saw the hope in his boss's eyes. He didn't want to disappoint the man, but we don't always get what we want. Joe tried really hard not to look in Barry's direction at the mention of the Flash. The detective was careful with his next words.

"Sorry Captain. I haven't heard anything from him."

Singh nodded and sighed devastated. He had hoped that the speedster had better luck than the police. David didn't know how, but somehow Central City's scarlet hero seemed to know about things beforehand. Sometimes he wondered if it was a metahuman thing and that's how he knew so much about metahuman problems before the police. The captain recognized that his thought didn't make sense, but then again most things didn't make sense nowadays.

"Ok then. Go home, get some rest. You've done enough for today." he told his two employs and walked out of Barry Allen's lab.

As soon as Singh was far away Joe turned to Barry.

"We have to do something."

The young man nodded his head. "I know. But until we have something more in our hands, there's nothing we can do."

Joe hated not having any leads. Especially, when it came to the Mardon brothers. And with Clyde dead, that left Mark the only one the detective had to worry about. Barry didn't like it any better. Both men sighed.

"Anyway, Iris told me you're going out with team Arrow tonight."

"Yea, we decided to hit a karaoke bar on the west side. We need to relax a little."

"Of course you do. You've all been working so hard." Joe agreed.

"And I know it's a long shot, but there's a small chance Shawna Baez will be there."Joe raised an eyebrow at this. "So, will you be coming?"

The detective shook his head violently. "No. I have a date with Cecile. Besides, I don't think I'll fit well with those vigilantes."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Joe regretted them. Barry sighed and although he tried not to show it, his shoulders fell. He looked his foster father in the eyes and Joe could see the disappointment in his son's face.

"You know they're not bad people."

Barry's voice couldn't have been louder than a whisper, but in Joe's ears, it felt like a thunder.

"I know. It's just that I'm having trouble accepting what they do. But I'm happy you have friends Bar." He told him honestly.

The CSI nodded recognizing the sincerity in Joe's voice.

"Alright." Joe patted Barry's back. "Go get ready. Iris will skin you alive if you're late."

Both men laughed and then Barry flashed out of the lab.

#

Alex Danvers was having a hard time coming to grips with what Winn just told her. Alex wasn't stupid. She was actually one of the smartest people at the D.E.O. It wasn't that she didn't understand the Multiverse, Winn had explained it in detail. Apparently, it was briefly explained to him by a metahuman speedster, who arrived accidentally to their Earth and was named Barry Allen. The same Barry Allen, who was the Flash and the man Kara went looking for. Alex knew of the Flash, the whole world knew who the hero of Central City was. What bothered Alex was the fact that she didn't know that Kara not only knew him, but that they were friends. Why would her little sister not tell her that she knew the Flash?

"When did they meet again?" she asked Winn.

"When you and J'onn left to find Jeremiah. He arrived through a breach."

"But why would Kara seek out our Earth's Flash, when she met another version of him. Our Flash might not even be the same person as the one from this other Earth. He might not be this Barry Allen." She insisted.

Winn looked shocked at the older Danvers sister. Alex eyed him wearily. What was going on?

"Wait, Alex. What do you mean?"

The woman frowned. "What do I mean what?"

"What do you mean " _Our Flash"_? We don't have the Flash on this Earth."

"Of course we have the Flash. Everybody knows it. Central City's scarlet speedster." She argued.

Winn shook his head at her. "No, Alex. Nobody knows about him. He doesn't exist on this Earth."

The two exchanged a couple odd looks, maybe some stare competition to see who would back down first. None refused to take their statement back until a realization hit them both. Something was wrong.

"What the hell is going on?"

#

The night was beautiful. The air was a little chilly for Central City standards but in contrast to the rainy atmosphere of Star City. Caitlin and Cisco along with Iris and Wally were sitting at the bar waiting for team Arrow to arrive. Barry had run Iris there before he left to bring their friends from Star. Caitlin was telling Iris about the last time she and Barry visited this particular bar, oddly enough looking for Shawna that time as well. The doctor was babbling about how good of a singer Barry was. Iris was –not exactly- jealous of her brunette friend. It's just that Caitlin had heard Barry sing before she had. Growing up together Iris was pretty sure she had never heard him sing. Not even in the shower. The only time she had heard her fiancé's melodic voice was when he proposed to her for the second time.

Next to Caitlin, Cisco was ordering his first round of shots. The girls were impressed by his eagerness to start drinking. Iris made a mental note to talk to him about not giving any alcohol to Wally. Then she remembered that, like Barry, her speedster brother couldn't get drunk. She relaxed.

"Hey, guys." speak of the devil, Barry approached the group with some familiar faces following him.

Iris didn't wait to kiss her fiancé or for the introductions of the people, she didn't know to be made. She slipped towards the man so fast, one would think she had super speed. She hit him on the arm. Hard.

"Ouch! What was that for?" the speedster rubbed his arm.

"For singing for Caitlin before me."

Iris knew that technically Caitlin had forced Barry on the stage, but she still felt like she should have been the first. Barry pressed his lips in a thin line and gave a stern look at Caitlin. At the almost-glare from his green eyes, the doctor diverted her gaze from the man and looked at her uninteresting glass of water.

"Thanks, Cait." he said sarcastically.

Caitlin smiled innocently at him and made her way to Felicity wrapping her in a warm hug.

"How are you, Felicity?"

The blonde smiled. "Great. Can't wait to start this night. Central is much more fun than Star City." the hacker laughed. "Hey, Iris. Cisco."

Iris hugged the woman, while the man in question drowned a shot like it was water and gave her the widest grin. Barry frowned, seeing his friend. He gave Iris a puzzled look. In return, Iris raised an eyebrow suggesting that the speedster should know his friend already.

Barry exchanged looks with Oliver. The archer stared at the metahuman blankly. It was settled, Barry would be the one to make the introductions. Barry cleared his throat.

"So, for those of you who don't know the others, this is Dinah Drake, the new Black Canary."

"Sweet." squealed Cisco.

Oliver glared at him and the long-haired man shut his mouth.

"Moving on, this is Curtis-"

"Mr. Terrific." the tall man interrupted Barry.

"And I'm Rene, or Wild Dog." continued the ex-marine.

Barry blinked at the two men. It was always interesting interacting with team Arrow. Every individual was so weird – unique, that's what Barry meant, unique.

"Right." He mumbled more to himself.

He turned to introduce his team, but Wally beat him to it.

"So, I'm Wally, also known as Kid Flash." he explained with extreme excitement. "And this is my sister Iris and the guy over there is Cisco."

"Call me Vibe." the Latino said loudly.

Caitlin hit him in the ribs making her friend groan, but he shut up nonetheless. It seems that the alcohol had started to have an effect on him. And the night hadn't even begun. Barry wanted to groan. He was sure that he would have to run Cisco to his apartment and stay with him most of the night making sure his friend didn't choke on his vomit. He hoped that at least Caitlin stayed sober this time.

"And I am doctor Caitlin Snow. Nice to meet you." she waved her hand at the three people she hadn't met before.

"John had to cancel last minute. Baby John caught a fever and so he stayed home to help Layla." Felicity said.

There was a small pause, no one of the two teams talked. They just stared at each other. Until Cisco spoke first.

"Alright, let's get some drinks."

Barry leaned towards Iris. "How much has he drunk already?"

The dark-skinned woman looked up and sighed. "Enough."

The speedster sighed too. It was going to be a long night. The speedster honestly couldn't decide if his inability to get drunk was a good thing or a bad thing. Watching Cisco giving Curtis a drink of vodka with lemon, he decided that at the moment it was for the best.

After everyone got their own drink, or in Barry's case a club soda, the two teams said a toast. _To being good friends!_ Barry and Iris exchanged a secret look between them. Speaking through their eyes, a language only the two of them understood. Oliver caught them sharing a smile. Then Barry turned to his friends.

"Since we are all here, Iris and I have something to share with you that we didn't really have the time with everything we all had to deal with." The speedster cleared his throat, glanced at his fiancé and took a breath. "We're getting married." he announced grinning like a maniac.

Iris squealed by his side and held her hands tightly around his left arm.

Barry was waiting for it. Really, he was expecting it, but he still wasn't prepared enough for Felicity's scream. Her and Curtis' faces filled with excitement and squealed alongside with Iris. Caitlin smiled brightly but didn't join the other three. The young doctor had expressed her happiness for her two friends more than once since the couple got engaged again. Barry didn't question her. He knew that Caitlin was the first one by Iris' side examining the ring and making plans for their wedding. It was his fiancé that stopped the brunette's blabbing. The wedding wasn't going to happen any time soon. With everything else rushing past them, the couple wanted to take things slow for a change and enjoy their engagement. The reality of the situation that comes after the wedding could wait. But the speedster couldn't help but wonder if this brought his friend memories of her own engagement and very short wedding with Ronnie. Caitlin had said that she didn't blame him for Ronnie's death, but Barry still felt guilt piercing his stomach every time he remembered his fallen friend. While in the speedforce he saw the future she and Ronnie would have. It twisted his gut painfully knowing that Caitlin wouldn't hold that little baby girl in her arms.

"Let me see the ring."

Felicity practically shoved Barry away from Iris and attacked her with Curtis following close by. Dinah was a little more hesitant, as she didn't know these people before five minutes ago. Despite that, the Black Canary smiled at the happiness illuminating in the woman's face. She had guessed by the way both her and the speedster looked at each other, love clear in their eyes, that they were together.

"Congratulations." she offered the Flash, who smiled and shook her extended hand.

"Thank you."

Dinah then moved towards his fiancé hoping her two friends will pause long enough for her to congratulate Iris. Oliver approached Barry, a ghost smile on his lips, barely visible. The speedster, though, detected it with no effort. It was a rare thing to see Oliver Queen smile, so when he did, even when it didn't look like it, Barry spotted it like it was a diamond sparkling in the moonlight.

"Well, you did it, Barry. You got the girl." the archer told him and reached with his arms.

Barry laughed, then grimaced and looked at Oliver weirdly. "I thought you weren't a hugger," he said suspiciously.

The other man shrugged his shoulders. "It's a special occasion. I can make an exception."

"In that case..." Barry smiled and opened his arms wide.

The two men embraced. Oliver had planned a brief hug and a little pat on the back, but the speedster tightened his arms around him and held him tight. Oliver counted the seconds that passed, only Barry wasn't letting go. On the contrary, the younger man seemed to tighten his hold. Oliver had to give it to Barry. He was a lot stronger than he looked.

"Barry." he choked.

Barry ignored him, like usual.

"Awe, aren't they cute." they heard Felicity.

The two heroes parted just in time to see the blonde lean to Iris and _''whisper''_ loudly.

"You are so lucky Barry and Oliver aren't bisexual. I swear if they were, no woman could match their bromance."

Iris burst's out laughing and one by one the rest of the women followed along with Cisco and Curtis. Oliver and Barry frowned, but they made sure not to catch the others eye as they scowled at their friends. Star City's vigilante opened his mouth to say something but was beaten by Cisco, who jumped from where he was sitting and almost fell down.

"Come on y'all. I see an empty table back there, and we have some things to discuss." he waved his arm.

"Like what?" Dinah asked.

Vibe turned and gave her an odd look. "You, of course."

"Me?" she asked, but followed the others and sat down.

"Yea, what do you mean?" Rene asked curiously.

The engineer rolled his eyes like it was obvious why they needed to have that discussion. Truth be told, the only one who truly understood where Cisco was going with this was Barry.

"You are a metahuman." Cisco stated.

The members of team Arrow stared at the man, blinking and no talking.

"Yea...so?" it was Curtis who spoke first.

Cisco sighed and refrained from rolling his eyes again. These people just didn't get it.

"Being a meta doesn't come with an instruction manual. You need to understand and gain full control of your powers."

Dinah glared at the boy. "I control my powers just fine."

Cisco began shaking his head. The vigilante continued glaring at him. Cisco had to admit that her angry stare was almost as intimidating as was Oliver's. But the emerald archer took always first place.

"Actually, I think he's right." Felicity butted in. "You could use some training when it comes to your cry and STAR labs is the best-qualified place to do it."

Oliver nodded. "I agree. Some tests will help you."

Dinah gasped and stared angrily at her teammates. "I'm not letting anyone do tests on me."

"You don't understand. These tests aren't just about the level of your powers. They will also help you use them in more ways than one and teach you how to manipulate them the right way. Also, they can help with your health and what things might put you at risk."

Dinah didn't yell this time. Just looked at Barry puzzled. The speedster could tell that she had a hard time comprehending his words. But as a meta himself he knew that with having powers meant that you became more vulnerable in things you weren't before. That's what Dinah had to understand. Barry looked at Caitlin and nodded at her to explain further. She was the doctor after all.

Caitlin knew what Barry wanted her to say. Every metahuman had their own special needs. As they had figured out with Barry first, he needed to eat more, or he would pass out. Or that he couldn't get drunk, his body burning all the alcohol – something that the speedster hated when he was badly injured and Caitlin couldn't give him anything to soothe his pain.

Caitlin took a breath and calculated her words in her head not wanting the woman to misunderstand her intentions. "Dinah, do you understand how your powers work?"

Black Canary nodded. "Yes, I scream and-"

"No." the doctor cut in. "That's not all you do." Caitlin licked her lips and continued. "Let me give you an example. Barry's super power is super speed. But that's not all he can do. You see it's the way you can productively use your powers in more ways than one. Barry can throw lighting, faze through solid objects, create after images of himself, time travel, dimension travel and more."

Dinah's eyes widened at the mention of all the things the scarlet speedster could do. She had no idea. "But all of those things come from his speed. Having powers, though, has some other side effects. For example, when we first started we found out that Barry had to constantly eat an enormous amount of food because his glucose levels kept dropping due to his fast metabolism –caused by his speed- so he wouldn't pass out all the time."

Dinah turned her gaze to the speedster. This guy was eating an enormous amount of food? The woman couldn't picture it. So did Rene. If that was the case, Wild dog wondered why Oliver looked so disturbed when he ate his beloved burger, when he should be more grossed out by his speedster friend.

"We know that every metahuman has different weaknesses. In order to help you better with your health, we need to test your powers and what effect they have on your body."

Dinah nodded understanding better what the doctor was trying to explain to her. She was still a little weary though.

"I get it. But, I only need to test what my powers do to my body. Otherwise, I have them under control."

Rene snorted. "No, you don't."

"When was I out of control?" she demanded.

Felicity was more than eager to elaborate. "Last month you were chasing a van with a bomb and you used your cry. The van toppled and we were lucky the bomb wasn't inside, otherwise, it would have blown up."

"And when we first met you, you screamed at the guy you were interrogating and killed him." Rene added.

"True." Oliver said this time. "If you had a better grasp over your powers, that wouldn't have happened. I think you should spend some time at STAR labs. Let them help you, they know what they're doing - experience we don't have."

Dinah sighed while she thought of what they told her. Their arguments were correct, but Dinah wasn't the trusting type. Though, she had trusted the Green Arrow pretty easily. And she knew what man Oliver Queen was. He obviously trusted these people, they all seemed to do. Oliver was like her, he didn't trust easily and Rene wasn't a fan of metahumans exactly – except maybe her. But both men seemed at ease with these people. Dinah made her mind. If her team trusted Barry, Cisco, Caitlin and the others, so would she.

"Ok." she breathed. "I'll come for a few days."

Cisco beamed at her. "Great. So that brings me to the second thing."

Every head turned to him, even his own team. "You need a suit. I've seen what you wear when you go out there and girl, I have to say that black jeans and a leather jacket ain't cutting it."

Dinah opened her mouth, but Vibe held his hand up. "I've discussed this with Oliver and he agrees that you need a proper suit. Now, I've created a fabric you'll love. It feels like Lycra, but I have applied the Alloy Ray used on his suit. We did the same for the Flash suit once when Barry had to fight a meta with superstrength and didn't have his powers and it didn't feel any different." Barry confirmed it by nodding his head. "It's super light, so you won't have extra weight and it's also flexible and it will protect you at the same time. If I had made it sooner, then maybe Laurel would still be alive." the last part was filled with sadness.

Caitlin put a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

Cisco nodded and the conversation changed to something more positive.

#

Kara didn't know where to find Barry. When she left she didn't have a plan. The only thought on her mind was to find her superhero friend. Having no plan was not a good idea, Barry had taught her that when he first arrived on her Earth. Kara decided it was best not to confront the hero in a public place. So she, in her Supergirl suit, flew over Central City and landed in front of STAR labs. It was her best bet and she remembered the big building was where team Flash operated. Kara found it extremely easy to break inside the facility. Unfortunately for her, there was no one around to greet her. So the Kryptonian decided to wait for someone to arrive. She was sure that Barry would come here from all places. As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long.

Cisco got an alert on his phone that someone had broken into STAR labs. Barry was gone before Vibe could form the world. Wally was not as quick but followed the Flash soon after the words '' _Go!_ '' left Cisco's mouth.

The Flash, fully suited, stopped in the cortex where Supergirl was waiting for him.

"Kara?" the questioning sound of his voice matched the look in his eyes. Even with the lack of light Kara could see it clearly. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong on your Earth? Do you need my help?"

Supergirl crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"That's funny. I was going to ask you the same thing."


	8. At the DEO

Chapter 8

The Flash looked at Supergirl questionably. He wanted to arch an eyebrow, but the mask of his suit permitted the speedster with little facial movement. The girl of steel had her hands folded in front of her chest looking just as ignorant as him. Before either one could do or say anything, a loud whoosh was heard and Kid Flash stood side by side to the Flash.

"Supergirl." he whispered more to himself.

If Wally wanted to be honest, he was very impressed by the alien. Even from the moment he first met her back at the hangar, as the rest of the superheroes were training to battle against the Dominators. Wally was more than amazed by the many powers the woman possessed and how bad-ass she was. Despite all that, he was a pure speedster at heart, he wouldn't change his speedforce powers for anything.

"Is something wrong?" the younger speedster voiced louder this time.

"That's what I was wondering. Why didn't you come and talk to me when you came?" Kara explained.

"Wait w-" Barry shook his head confused. "When did you come to our Earth?"

Kara's blue eyes fell upon the scarlet speedster and stared intensely at him. Her nose wrinkled as she frowned. "You came to my Earth." She said finally.

Wally glanced at Barry confused and a little wary. His foster brother wasn't looking at him though. His eyes were fixed at the Kryptonian. Wally would've been worried about the guy's loyalty to his sister if he didn't know Barry Allen so well. By now, he knew the man's many awkward looks and was able to recognize them – most of them anyway. For example, now Wally was mostly sure that Barry was looking at Supergirl with a calculative stare. Sometimes the speedster wished he had telepathy so that he could see what was going on inside the Flash's head.

"We didn't come to your Earth." Wally offered the alien, while Barry was still looking at her.

Kara was shocked at his answer. She wasn't much of an expert when it came to the Multiverse and alternative worlds, only that it existed and that she could travel to one of them thanks to the device Cisco Ramon had made for her. To tell the truth Kara couldn't even pronounce the name of the damn thing. So upon the unexpected answer of Kid Flash, Kara was speechless, not sure what action to take. Then all of a sudden Barry pressed his lips and his nose flapped.

"How do we know you are the real Kara Danvers?" he asked carefully.

Kara's mouth fell open. Wally would've done the same, but he caught on quickly. Her eyes widened and she stood there a few moments trying to form a few words but failing.

"How- I'm- wha-"

Both speedsters could see her eyes powering up. That meant she was losing her temper. On the bright side – although Barry wasn't entirely sure that it was- that also meant that she was a real version of Kara and not some shapeshifter. Barry hated those.

"What are you talking about Barry? I don't understand where you're going with this."

The Flash raised his hand in order to calm the girl of steel. He meant her no harm, he was just trying to determine if she was the Kara he knew.

"Hey, it's cool." He told her. "I was just being cautious. You could've been a shapeshifter for all I knew, masquerading as Supergirl."

Kara visibly relaxed. That didn't mean that she understood what was going on or why the two speedsters were on her Earth. Then her eyes narrowed on the scarlet speedster.

"How do I know that you're the real Flash?" she asked suspiciously. "What was the first thing I said to you?"

Barry rolled his eyes at the question. " _I didn't need you to save me._ That's what you told me."

Kara nodded her head. Her blonde curls shook at the movement. She unfolded her arms and took a few steps towards her friend. She wanted to hug him, but then she froze.

"Did you read my mind?" her voice was unmistakably cold.

Barry's eyes widened in shock and his mouth opened slightly. He couldn't believe she just asked that. He shook his head (a little like a crazy person) and raised his hands to make a gesture, but ended settling them on his hips instead.

"Are you for real?" he asked her bewildered. "Do I need to remind you the song we sang in the musical world Music Meister sent us?"

"NO!" Kara had a terrified look on her face, as she held her arm in front of her, a gesture to stop Barry from voicing their embarrassing incident. "I believe you. It's the real you."

"Thank you." Barry said at the same time Wally asked: "What song?"

"Yea, what song?" Cisco asked through the coms of Barry's suit.

The Flash was a little surprised to hear Cisco's voice in his ear. He had forgotten he could hear him. Seeing Kara at STAR labs had caught him by surprise, so all he thought about was asking her why she was here. The Flash brought his hand on his ear and pressed the com.

"Cisco, did you hear the conversation?"

"I want to know what song you were talking about." the man insisted.

Barry wanted to curse. Leave it to Cisco to lose track of what's important. His friend acted more like a kid most of the time. Barry remembered that Cisco was quite drunk before he left the bar so this behavior was expected. He sighed.

"Now's not the time Cisco. Did you hear everything we said?" he asked the engineer hoping the man would cooperate.

Cisco groaned in his ear. "You're no fun. Fine, but you owe me a song after."

"Fine." Barry answered. It wasn't likely that Cisco would remember much of tonight tomorrow. So he should be able to get out of it. He hoped.

"Ok. Yes, we heard the whole thing and while you guys were throwing around irrelevant questions – just so you know."

"Cisco. Get to the point."

Barry could literally feel his friend rolling his eyes. "Well you did, but anyway. So while you were talking I realized something."

"What is that?" Wally asked before Barry could.

"I realized that..." Cisco paused for a dramatic minute. Both speedsters shook with impatience. No other time wanted Barry to yell at his friend more. "Kara thinks that she's on her Earth for some reason."

Barry and Wally fixed their eyes on the Kryptonian. Kara was able to hear what Cisco told them thanks to her super hearing. Useless to say that all three of them were socked. Upon this revelation, Barry took off his cowl and walked to his friend. Kara looked around her surrounding looking for something. She didn't exactly know what that something was, but...maybe something that was not right.

"Kara..." Barry's voice died, not knowing how to continue.

The blonde finally turned her gaze to him. She hadn't found anything out of the ordinary since her last visit to the lab and even with her x-ray vision, she didn't pick up anything.

"Barry, I just left the D.E.O. because we saw you on TV. I came here to see if you needed my help and why you didn't come to me in the first place." She explained.

The Kryptonian felt shaken. She didn't know what to think. Something felt wrong all of a sudden. It made her gut twist unpleasantly, like that time she ate bad seafood and got food poisoning. Locking eyes with Barry, they both realized that something was wrong.

Barry spoke to the coms again. "You guys need to come to STAR labs as soon as possible. Cisco needs to sleep his drunkenness off and the rest of us need to talk and figure out what is going on."

#

Supergirl flew through the streets of National City with the Flash following her on the ground. After Barry had asked his team and team Arrow to come to STAR labs, Cisco –with Caitlin's supervision – opened a portal to the cortex. Rene had paled at the sight of the blue hole. Curtis, on the other hand, had looked at the hole in the space continuum with amazement. Dinah was sure that he would ask Cisco for his autograph as soon as the metahuman woke up from the nap doctor Snow had forced him to take.

Caitlin had been unsure if she should allow her friend to use his powers at his drunken state, but the man was adamant that he could and wouldn't transport them to another planet - as Oliver had claimed. So instead, the brunette stayed by Cisco's side and guided him to the best of her abilities. And somehow they all ended up at the cortex of STAR labs in one piece. The members of team Arrow, with the exception of Curtis, had been very hesitant to enter the blue ring that would take them to their destination. Their fear (although neither admitted it) was justified. In the end, Iris had called them all chicken and entered the portal herself. After that, they all followed.

Once everyone was at the same place, Caitlin dragged Cisco to the med bay and blackmailed him into falling asleep. Barry didn't want to know what the doctor had used against the engineer. For the next hour heroes and vigilantes alike discussed the issue of which Earth they were in, coming to dead ends multiple times. According to both people from Earth-1 and Kara from Earth-38, nothing was out of the ordinary with their worlds except from the fact that both Earth's seemed to be one. The Green Arrow wasn't one to understand multiple dimensions, but he did have the most practical mind. So when nobody made sense of the situation, he had suggested that Barry run with Kara to National City (because according to her National existed on this Earth) and compare the differences between their worlds. That's how the Flash found himself running on the side of a building and stopping at the top floor next to Supergirl.

"You changed your headquarters?" he noticed.

"I learned about this place a while back. I wasn't pleased that J'onn made me fly to the desert all this time." Kara complained.

Barry chuckled at her irritation. He looked around the room, he didn't recognize any faces from the last time he was at a D.E.O. facility. Some agents stared at him weirdly and others tried not to look for too long. It was clear that they didn't know how to act around the superhero. Supergirl once had brought along Superman to help with Metallo, but the man was her cousin, the agents felt like they knew him as they knew Supergirl. The Flash, though, was another matter. All of them knew about him, some even idolized him. But he still was unknown and he felt distant.

"Kara." Winn ran to the two heroes with Alex by his side. "Barry."

The Flash waived his red-gloved hand at Winn and smiled one of his brilliant smiles. "Hey, man. It's good to see you again."

Alex tried not to let her eyes linger on the man in the red suit. The woman wasn't sure what Kara would find when she arrived in Central City, or who she would meet (if it was the Flash she knew or someone else). They hadn't really talked to her either. Kara had just told them that she would be coming back and she would bring the Flash with her. Alex didn't have enough time to think about it. The superheroes had arrived within a few minutes from Kara's call. Now, looking at the man next to her sister she felt a small wave of admiration for him. The speedster wasn't a big man. Tall yes, but lean and lanky, not the way Mon-El or James Olsen were built. But still, the way his red costume wrapped around his body and the confidence and certainty he held himself with was enough of a warning. This man was dangerous. Not to them necessarily, but whoever challenged him, Flash knew he could take them down.

"Barry this is my sister Alex. Alex this is my friend, Barry." Kara was smiling while she introduced them.

"No, way." the man, Barry, exclaimed enthusiastically. Glorious green eyes looked at Alex and a bright smile shined his whole face. The scarlet speedster reached his right hand to her. "It's great to finally meet you. Kara has told me so much about you. It's a shame we didn't meet last time Kara and I teamed up."

Alex was shocked at how much boyish and cheerful the man's voice was. The glim of light radiating off of him traveled to her as she took his hand to shake. She had heard that the Flash was a lighthearted hero, but Alex wasn't one to listen to gossip. If she didn't see something for herself, she hardly believed it.

"Likewise, Flash."

The speedster grimaced and shook his head. "You can just call me Barry."

Alex nodded just as Winn started to talk. "So while you were gone, Alex and I realized that-"

"The world is wrong." Flash finished.

The computerer nodded. Barry glanced at Kara, who nodded her head and then turned to look at Winn and Alex.

"About that, is there anywhere we could talk in private?"

"Let's go to J'onn's office." Alex suggested. "He should know what's going on."

Barry and Kara agreed, so the four of them walked through the D.E.O. halls and to the Martian's office. Alex and Kara walked in the front, while Winn stayed behind and started an excited conversation with Barry. Kara could tell that her sister was upset about something. It was the way her body was firm and her shoulders stiff. The expression on her face was supposedly relaxed, but her jaw was tight and her eyes wandered around the place. Kara knew her sister well, to recognize the _something-is-bothering-me,-but-I'm-trying-not-to-show-it_ look.

"What's on your mind?" she asked.

Alex glanced at her not knowing if it was the right time for this conversation.

"Don't tell me you're fine. I know you." Kara reminded her before Alex attempted that line on her.

Alex sighed. She looked at the two men behind them talking like long lost best friends and then turned her gaze back to Kara.

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew the Flash –no- that you know a guy from another universe?" she whispered trying not to show how much it upset her that her sister kept a secret like this from her.

Kara's eyes widened. "I told you about him. You knew about him when Mon-El and J'onn took me to his universe to help me after Music Meister whammied me."

"And when did that happened?"

"You seriously don't remember?" Kara said, her voice devastated as much as her expression showed.

Alex shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know what to tell her. She hadn't lived any of what Kara, Winn and apparently the Flash were talking about. They entered J'onn's office and Winn closed the door behind him. Kara sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"I don't know what to tell you, Alex. There's something wrong with the world."

The Martian picked up at the people entering the room. "What are you talking about?"

The D.E.O agent took a look at the people in the room, his stare rested on the man in red, the one who was not supposed to be here – or in this reality. "Mister Allen." J'onn got up from his seat and offered the hero his hand. "What brings you to this world?"

"It's Barry, please." the Flash insisted shaking the Martian's hand. "We need to talk privately."

J'onn understood immediately that what was about to be discussed was not supposed to leave this office. As a secret agent, he knew that _that_ something was delicate and most of all dangerous. Nodding his head to Alex and Winn, the two of them shut the blinds so no one of the other D.E.O agents could see them. Barry took off his cowl revealing, for the first time since he got to the base, his face. Alex was quite surprised at how young the scarlet speedster was. With his reputation, the woman had guessed that whoever was under the mask was at least older than thirty. The maturity he had shown with the villains he had fought suggested so. What blew her, even more, was the innocence behind his eyes –despite the sadness behind them- and how naïve he looked. Alex Danvers was good at reading people. Barry Allen was as an open book as one person could be. The man had seen darkness and had suffered a great deal in his life. It was all written behind the brightness of his green eyes and the innocence of his smile. Alex could tell that Barry didn't put on a show to hide his pain with a cheerful facade. If she had to guess the man wasn't capable of faking anything. Alex found it outstanding how this guy could face the darkness and yet come out on top without having it darken his soul, but shine bright as he did.

"I need access to your data." Barry was straightforward with J'onn.

"And why is that?"

"We think that something happened to both our worlds and somehow now they are the same." Kara explained.

J'onn eyed both heroes. Kara looked at Barry frowning. That hadn't come out like she had pictured it in her head. The speedster rolled his eyes playfully and turned to J'onn trying to explain the situation on his own.

"We don't know how..." he started. "And we wouldn't have realized something was going on if Kara hadn't flown over to Central City, but-"

"Wait, you opened a portal?" the Martian gave Supergirl a disapproving look.

"That's what we're talking about. Neither of us used a breach to come here." Barry pointed to the D.E.O facility with his hands. "From my perspective, you are in my world and from yours, I am in yours."

The Martian folded his arms in front of his chest. "How can that happen?" he questioned.

Barry sighed and shook his head. "We don't know for now, but it's like our worlds have merged or something like that. We have compared some data from our satellite at STAR labs, but I need to access your data as well to confirm it and we thought it wouldn't be right to just hack your systems. I'm familiar with how your system works since I helped track Livewire the first time I came to your Earth, so it won't take me long."

J'onn nodded deep in thought. "Take a look."

"I'll take you." Winn jumped ready to spend more time with his favorite person from another universe.

"So you know him?" Alex asked J'onn as soon as Winn, Kara and Barry left.

"Of course. We met when Mon-El and I took Kara to his Earth to ask for his team's help when Music Meister put Kara into a coma."

"Then why don't I remember any of this?" she asked desperate for an answer.

J'onn looked at her surprised. Then realization settled in. "Maybe it's a side effect of whatever is going on." he offered.

Alex nodded, hands on her hips. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right."

It took the Flash no more than a couple of minutes to process every information the D.E.O had. _Thanks, speed reading!_ The three of them were back in J'onn's office to share what the speedster had gathered.

"It's definitely some kind of merge. Like our two Earths have collided and things that shouldn't exist they do. I think that whatever the hell is going on, we need to face it together if we want to have a chance of figuring this out."

J'onn nodded, he agreed with the Flash. What was happening was bigger than any of them.

"We should also keep it secret. As close to our circle as possible." the speedster continued. "If this gets out, there will be panic."

J'onn nodded again. "I agree. Also, we can't operate here. It's risky and more likely for some agent to find out. We also can't trust the government. God knows what they'll do."

"Oh, I know that. They'll only mess things up even more." Barry agreed. "So we make STAR labs our base of operation. We have all the research equipment we are going to need and the means to create whatever we might need in the future. We have our own satellite, and it's private."

"What other allies do you have? People you trust?"

"People from Star City mostly. There's the Green Arrow, he was the one who suggested I came here and check things out. And his team, Spartan, Overwatch, Black Canary, Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific. We also have some other friends who time travel, so we would have to contact them first."

"We can't just all move to Central City. It would look suspicious." Alex noted.

Barry shook his head. "You won't have to. We can meet once a week, or when we have something important to share. And Supergirl can fly there, or Cisco can open a breach anytime to transport you to the lab."

J'onn nodded and got up. "It's settled then. Talk with your friend from Star and we'll settle the date of our meetings. We need to discuss this matter once we all gather together."

"You know what's great about this arrangement with the merged worlds? We can actually call each other on our cell phones if we need anything and not jump dimensions." Barry pointed out with a laugh.

Kara joined him and then hugged her friend. Barry gave Winn a hug as well and shook both J'onn and Alex's hands. "Ok, I'm gonna regroup the others and fill them in. I'll call you."

And with that he flashed out of the facility, knocking Alex out of balance, and back to Central City.


	9. Rainbow raider

Chapter 9

When Barry Allen arrived at STAR labs that night he informed his team of his foundings in National City, along with the agreement he made with J'onn, Kara, Winn and Alex. They had agreed too that getting together was their best move if they wanted to figure out what was going on. Barry had told them all to go home and rest. He would call Oliver first thing in the morning to inform him of the situation as well and discuss when they should meet with the people from National City. As soon as Barry and Kara had left, Cisco had opened a breach for Oliver, Felicity, Curtis, Dinah and Rene to take them back to Star City. It was late and everyone had work to do in the morning. Besides, they couldn't help with anything until Barry came back with more information, so they all decided to call it a night and went home.

When Barry and Iris entered their loft, exhaustion fell on Barry's body like a ton of bricks. He hadn't realized how exhausting they had been the last couple of days. It had begun with the accident, the one that Weather Wizard caused and was still at large, and from there it all went downhill. Barry sat on the couch, his new favorite thinking spot, and rested his feet on the coffee table. Iris approached him carrying a mug of hot chocolate. She sat beside him and gave him the mug.

"I think this will help." she offered, her voice always soothing and understanding.

Barry didn't need a hot beverage in order to relax. He only needed Iris. His Iris. His love. He noticed she had changed from her work attire to a nightgown. It was dark blue, silk and short, leaving her legs in full view. Barry's eyes stared at her long chocolate legs, that seemed to run for miles. Barry was a legs man. He had argued with Cisco about that when his friend had asked him what type of man he was. Cisco insisted that there where breasts men, legs men and butt men. Barry didn't think Cisco was being serious, nor that men of type existed. Then he had a taste of Iris' legs and he became a true believer. They really were his favorite body part. Growing up together, Barry had seen Iris with shorts and skirts and even in a bikini a lot of times, but he had never thought about it until Cisco had brought it up and he got to actually touch Iris' legs. The speedster never admitted to Cisco that he was right after he found out and he didn't plan to.

"See something you like?" Iris asked seductively.

Barry's eyes roamed her body until he reached hers. "I see a lot that I like." His voice came out hoarse. He was becoming very aroused from what he was seeing.

"Good. There's a lot on your mind. You need a distraction." she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Then distract me." Was the last thing Barry said before he laid her on the couch and got on top of her.

#

Kara Danvers walked to her desk at CatCo avoiding Snapper's everyday glare. She wasn't feeling up to dealing with this after everything that happened yesterday. It still confused her that everyone she had met on Earth 1 was here on her Earth. Or that she was on their Earth? Honestly, it was confusing as hell and Kara got a headache even thinking about it. Harder was explaining the situation to Mon-El. He stood there, at her apartment, and stared at her like she had told him to solve the weirdest riddle ever made and she wasn't exactly good at explaining things even she didn't understand yet. So, in the end, she just told him that Barry would explain it to him better when he called to inform them about meeting with the others. Kara hoped that this time both she and Mon-El would understand. Kara chewed her bottom lip thinking about it. She tried thinking about an article to write, but her mind was stuck at the image of Barry Allen at the D.E.O. Her feet shook nervously. Then she got an idea, to make an investigation of her own.

Kara got up from her seat and walked fast towards Snapper's desk. The man didn't even bother to look up to her as the Kryptonian coughed to get his attention.

"What do you want Danvers?" he spoke, while writing something down.

Kara tried her best not to let her anger take the best of her. The way Snapper talked to her with arrogance and annoyance and pure spitefulness was not making it easy. What got to her the most was the sneer and despise in his voice. Kara swallowed both her saliva and her words, avoiding giving her boss a piece of her mind. It wouldn't end well –for her.

"I wanted to ask you something." she said instead with her usual cheerfulness.

Snapper looked up to her from above his glasses not bothering to raise his head. He was frowning as usual. Kara often wondered if his face was stuck frowning at all times. Maybe it was his curse or something. If it was, Kara was pleased with his punishment.

"Get on with it, I have important things to do unlike you."

Kara bit her lip again and tightened her fists. Rao, she wanted to hurt him. Maybe throwing him from the balcony, like she had done to Cat Grant, would set him straight. It was a tempting thought. But she couldn't, as much as she wanted to and Rao she wanted it a lot. Instead, once again, she told herself to get a grip and cleared her thoughts.

"Well, I was just wondering..." she laughed awkwardly and straightened her glasses on her nose. "...if you knew about the Flash."

This time her boss raised his head to look at her. The look he gave was more than the answer Kara was looking for. He glared at her like she was a teenage student with lower IQ than a chicken wanting to win the spelling competition.

"What kind of moron would I be if I didn't know, Danvers? Don't waste my time with stupid questions."

"What about the Green Arrow?" Kara added quickly.

"What's this obsession with the vigilantes Danvers? Thinking of writing an article about superheroism and people taking the law into their own hands?" he demanded grumpily.

Or at least Kara thought he did. She never knows with Snapper, he only has one tone he speaks with– the snappy one.

"Maybe...?" she offered, trying to cover up her...investigation? Kara, as Alex and her mother, Winn and J'onn have often said to her, was not a very good liar. Alex had described her as an awful liar and despite her many efforts, Kara hadn't really improved. Like at all. But right now she hoped and prayed to Rao and God that she was convincing enough to fool Snapper.

"Let me tell you right now, I'm not going to publish an article like this." He glared at her. "And to make myself clear, if I find anything like this with your name posted on a rival platform. You. Are. Done."

Kara nodded her head aggressively. "Yes, sir." she mumbled before rushing away as fast as her legs could take her without using her powers.

#

Captain David Singh walked into Barry Allen's lab, while the man was checking the ballistics of a gun involved in a shooting. Crime in Central City didn't stop, even if it was as simple as a robbery at a local shop. It was one shooter. The robber had taken the money from the cashier while holding a gun at the owners head. Unfortunately, the man had tried to press the alarm and the robber had shot him. It was a crime scene now. For Barry...and the captain it was refreshing to have a case that didn't involve a metahuman. Of course neither wanted people to die, but having a non-metahuman case was easier. It made them both nostalgic of the days before the particle accelerator had blown up when the crimes were easier and you didn't have to guess about magical powers the criminal might have.

Seeing Singh enter, Barry got up from his seat and greeted him.

"Captain."

"Allen." Singh acknowledged him nodding his head slightly. "I was looking for Joe. Do you know where he is?"

"He went back to the crime scene to interview more witnesses." Barry answered.

Singh nodded. "There's something else too. Do you have anything new about Mark Mardon?"

The CSI shook his head negatively. David could see the devastation in his CSI's eyes. It was obvious that this case had tired the young man. "I'm sorry Captain but no. Mardon has completely disappeared. It looks like he's laying low, which isn't really his style, but he hasn't been acting like himself ever since he escaped from Iron Heights."

The Captain sighed and nodded his head. He was tired as well. He had been waiting for Mardon to make a move, but the metahuman criminal had fallen off the radar. "Ok, Allen. Get back to work."

Barry nodded and as soon as Singh got out of his lab he sighed loudly. He hated this. For whatever reason Mardon was hiding it was not good. It only meant one thing: he was planning. And Weather Wizard planning was dangerous. Barry wanted to groan and punch something. He wanted to find Mardon. He wanted to lock him back in Iron Heights. And he wanted to figure out what the hell was wrong with his world and Kara's world... And he wanted a burger. Or more like 500 burgers. Barry generally wanted many things, but right now he _needed_ to call Oliver Queen.

#

In Star City, Oliver was dealing with a problem of his own. Not like the one Barry was dealing with, but still important. He had spent the last two and a half hours thinking of a solution, but it seemed to be impossible. His brain had come up empty multiple times. Oliver definitely needed a break. So when his phone rang, Oliver fished it out of his pocket and answered it gratefully.

"Hello?"

"Oliver, it's me." Barry's voice rang from the phone's speaker.

The archer immediately became alert. He was expecting for the speedster to call all night. He was nervous to find out what Barry had discovered at the D.E.O. His gut was telling him that it was ugly...whatever information the speedster had found out.

"Barry." he greeted. "I was waiting for your call."

Oliver heard the other man sigh. It was an unfamiliar sound to his ears. Usually, the scarlet speedster was full of joy. Oliver was the one who was used to be sighing a lot. Lately more often than he liked. It had become an instinctual habit to be sighing. Oliver didn't particularly like his new tick, but it was hard to stop it.

"We need to talk."

Barry's voice was more serious than Oliver would have liked. If he wanted to be honest, in the three years the emerald archer knew him, he had never heard Barry's voice being so serious, so sober. Oliver licked his lips staring hard at the papers on his desk. His mind was going wild and his gut twisted. He knew that the situation was bad. Barry only had to confirm what scale of bad it was.

"So talk. What did you find?" he asked him.

"Not over the phone. Can I come over?"

It was very serious. That's the conclusion Oliver came to. Whatever Barry had found, it was not only important but grave. If Barry wanted to run all the way to Star City and deliver the news himself, it was definitely bad. Oliver feared that it was actually worse. Last time Barry had run to Star City to ask for help in person, he had told them that aliens exist and they had fought off an alien invasion (alongside an alien from another Earth). It had been one of their darkest days. The speedster was forced to reveal to all of them that he had traveled back in time to save his mother and in doing so had altered the timeline affecting some of their lives. Oliver had never seen Barry so devastated, so defeated before. But even then his voice sounded lighter than it did on the phone just now. He didn't have to think about it. He knew that Barry was worried and that rang warning bells to all of his instincts. This made the paranoid vigilante even more paranoid.

"Come to the lair. I'm leaving the office and I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll call Felicity to gather the team." Oliver told him.

"Ok, I'll be right over." Barry hung up.

Putting his cell phone back into his pocket, Oliver called his assistant and asked her to cancel all his appointments for the day. He had more important issues to discuss.

#

Kara walked into James Olsen's office and threw herself on a chair groaning out loud.

"Hey, Kara. How's your day?" James asked her.

"Great." she answered sarcastically.

James chuckled. "Snapper's still giving you a hard time?"

"You have no idea." Kara groaned again.

"So did you find out what Barry was doing on this Earth?"

As fast as lightning Kara jerked up and stared at her friend with her eyeballs ready to pop out of their sockets. "You know Barry is the Flash?"

"Yea..." James eyed her weirdly.

"And that he's from a parallel Earth?"

"Yes. Kara, what's going on?"

The blonde exhaled loudly. She fell back into the chair, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She felt tired and on edge. Her stomach was twisting awfully. It felt like the weird feeling you get when you see your crush walking by – only the unpleasant kind.

"It's so great that you remember that." she sighed.

James looked at her questionably. He still didn't understand what was going on, or what had Kara so riled up.

"Who doesn't remember what?"

"Alex." Kara groaned. "She doesn't remember anything of what I told her about meeting Barry and the others from his Earth. She doesn't even remember that I got whammied by Music Meister."

"How is that possible? It doesn't make sense."

Kara nodded her head. "I know, but there's something weirder going on." James waved at her to continue. "After you called Winn to check the news, I went to Central City to find Barry."

"Yea, I was wondering about that. What's going on?" he interrupted her.

"When I met with Barry, I found out it wasn't just him that was here, but all the people I met while I was on Earth 1 when we fought the Dominators plus some more. And get this. I brought Barry at the D.E.O. to check some things and it seems like our Earths have somehow merged or at least it appears that way."

For James, what Kara had just told him was beyond what his mind could process. He stood motionless for a few moments and stared at Kara, but not really looking at her, more like through her. His mind slowly processed the information, until he came out of it.

"You mean that our Earth – the one you nad I live in- became one with the Earth Barry lives in?" he asked her slowly, to make sure he got it right. Kara nodded. "How is that possible?"

Kara shook her hands in the air. "I've no idea." she groaned. "But J'onn and Barry both agree that we and his team, plus his other friends should try and get our heads together to figure what is going on. To be honest, I'm glad that at least it was their Earth that we merged with. They have brilliant people, and I don't think we can figure it out without them."

James nodded again a little speechless. He looked baffled and a little freaked out. It was out of what he normally dealt with. "I think they're right. So, what are we going to do now?"

"Well, Barry is filling in team Arrow and he will call to tell us when to meet with the rest of them." She told him and then looked at her watch. " Crap. Ok, I'm gonna go back to work or else Snapper is going to have my head."

James laughed and waved goodbye to her. Kara basically raced out of his office hoping that her boss didn't see her slacking. When she got to her desk there was a man waiting for her. Kara had never seen this man before, but there was something that unsettled her. He wasn't particularly tall. He was wearing a black trench coat and had a weird haircut. What caught her eye more was the fact that he was wearing sunglasses...inside the building. Kara didn't know what it was about him that ticked her off, but she couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that twisted her gut as she walked near him. Kara approached her desk and sat on her chair. She faced the strange man and the feeling that something was terribly wrong hit her again. Kara forced a smile on her face, one as honest as she could, before speaking to him.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

Kara's gut twisted when the man smiled at her. "Are you Kara Danvers?" he asked her.

The sound of his voice made the hair on the Kryptonian's arms rise. Kara swallowed and continued to smile. "Yes, I'm her. What can I do for you?"

"Oh, nothing much." The man waved his hands aimlessly. "I think I found what I was looking for."

Roy Bivolo lowered his sunglasses and looked Kara straight in the eyes. Kara's vision flashed red for a moment and then returned back to normal. Supergirl shut her eyes and shook her head to clear her vision. When she opened her eyes again Bivolo was gone.


	10. Against Supergirl (part 1)

Chapter 10

When Oliver Queen walked into the lair Barry was already waiting for him. Felicity was sitting in front of her computers looking very worried. She was nervously biting her lower lip, while Diggle was sitting next to her, arms folded in front of his chest, trying not to show how worried he was as well. Oliver couldn't deny or hide his own anxiousness. His stomach had become a tight knot ever since Barry's call and Oliver for the first time wished the speedster had picked him up first so that he wouldn't take this long to arrive. The waiting for the news was killing him.

"What did you find?" Oliver was straightforward and blunt.

At the sound of his entrance, Felicity jumped and her eyes searched automatically for him. She sighed and got up.

"Thank God you're here, Oliver. Barry wouldn't tell us anything until you got here."

The speedster walked closer to the Green Arrow, who did the same. The two men met at the center of the room. Barry pushed his hands inside the pockets of his trousers and sighed. Oliver didn't like the sound of it. It was the same one he had heard on the phone. Felicity looked impatiently between them, her eye wondering from Barry to Oliver and back.

"It's bad, Oliver." was the first thing that came out of the speedster's mouth.

"Yea, I got that impression. The question is how bad."

"You want the long or the short version?"

"Start with the short version and then we go to the long one." Diggle said. "Knowing you, it's going to be a weird one."

Barry eyed him shaking his head. "Man, you have no idea." Then he looked back at Oliver and sighed before deciding to just tell them and get it over with. "So, short story, our Earth and Kara's Earth have merged."

"Like, they have become one?" Felicity asked as she was the only one capable of speaking.

John and Oliver still needed some time to get to grips with the news. Barry nodded his head confirming Felicity's words.

"Oh. My. God." the computer genius mumbled.

Diggle shook his head and gave the speedster a look. "I swear to God Barry, every time I see you the world becomes weirder and weirder."

Barry offered him an apologetic smile. Oliver, on the other hand, didn't seem so freaked.

"That's Barry for you. You should've got used to it by now. So, do you know how this happened? And how are we going to deal with it?"

Barry took a deep breath and eyed each member of team arrow. "That's the long story."

#

Winn had left his computer running an algorithm to pinpoint the differences of their data with the data the Flash had given him access to before he left. He trusted Barry of course, but he still wanted to create a file with all the information. Winn was currently sitting in J'onn's office with Alex discussing this particular matter.

"Do you think we can trust the Green Arrow and the other people Flash talked about?" Alex asked J'onn.

"Kara trust's them and they're Barry's friends." Winn defended them quickly. He trusted the scarlet speedster from another world. Despite the short time he had spent with him the first time Barry arrived by accident, Winn thought of him as a very good friend.

"They are vigilantes. And we don't know anything about these time travelers. It's weird even saying it." Alex argued.

"So is James Olsen." J'onn reminded her.

Alex sighed. The Martian was right after all.

"And Barry can time travel. It's real Alex."

The woman looked at Winn overwhelmed. "He can do that?"

"I don't find it surprising." J'onn said calmly.

"He can." Winn confirmed. "He told us when he was explaining the multiverse to me, Kara and James."

Alex combed her short hair with her hands. She looked frustrated once again. In the 24 hours that they had learned that the Flash was on their world, Kara's sister had a permanent frown on her face.

"Let me guess, one of the things I don't remember." she groaned.

Before either Winn or J'onn could answer Alex's phone rang. "It's James." she told them before answering and putting it on speaker. "Hey, James."

"Alex. Something is wrong with Kara. She just attacked Snapper as Supergirl." James' voice sounded worried over the phone.

"She what?" three shocked voices said at the same time.

"I don't know what to tell you, she doesn't seem like herself. She was very angry before she attacked him like she couldn't control herself."

Alex felt her pulse rise. She tightened her fists and glared at the phone. It was only one thing that could make Kara lose control. Red Kryptonite. Maxwell Lord, a royal bastard, had created the substance by accident when he was trying to create green Kryptonite in order to use it against the Kryptonians that threatened the world - along with them Kara's aunt. The red Kryptonite had disastrous effects on Kara. It brought the worst traits on the surface and highlighted them. It was a crisis that her little sister struggled hard to come back from. What was worse, Alex wasn't there for Kara when she needed her, but had left with J'onn to find her father. When Alex came back Kara and the people of National City had gotten past that. Unfortunately, another ordeal was in store for them. After the Myriad crisis, in which Maxwell Lord helped Supergirl, Alex thought that the man had given up on trying to declare Supergirl unfit to be a hero and wanting to make a hero of his own – one that he could control. But as it turns out, Alex thought wrong. He must have waited long enough to make his next move so that they wouldn't suspect him. Unfortunately for him, Alex knew better.

"Maxwell Lord." she spat the name out like a curse. "The bastard. I'm going to find him and beat him until he reverses the effects of the red kryptonite." Determined she got up and started walking towards the door. Before she got out she paused and turned to Winn. "Call Mon-El. He might be the only one who can stop her."

#

Iris West parked her car close to Central City Picture News and made her way to her job. Her mind was consumed by the new situation the team (and the other teams) was in. To Iris, it seemed that disasters never stopped coming and lately the next one was worse than the previous. But Iris was glad that she knew. As difficult as this life is, protecting people in secret, lying to everyone and the constant danger of villains that kidnap you, Iris still felt that she wouldn't take it back. Finding out that her best friend was the Flash and being a small part in team Flash, was everything she ever wanted. And most of all an eye-opener. Iris was infatuated with the mysterious Streak that ran through the streets of her city from the start. Afterward, she learned that behind the mask hid her nerdy best friend. At first, Iris was mad at both Barry and her father for keeping this big secret from her, but later she started seeing the differences in Barry, those she couldn't put a finger on after his coma, now they were more obvious and made more sense. And Iris found herself admitting what she had tried to deny for a long time. She had feelings for her best friend. After Barry's change in personality (he was more confident, more sure of himself, but still compassionate and caring), Iris' infatuation grew like fire and she couldn't refuse it anymore. And she didn't regret it. Not a bit. Barry Allen was everything a woman could hope for according to her. She felt loved beyond reason and he made her happier than she had ever been. She was madly in love with him, thus the reason she said yes to his most rushed marriage proposal.

Iris knew she couldn't really help like the other people with the problem they were currently facing, but she still wanted to do something, she couldn't just stay standby. She was an investigating reporter after all. She had skills and she knew very well how to use them. Reaching CCPN she knew there was one thing she could do.

"Good morning Iris." Ethan, the new intern said to Iris, as he walked past her.

"Morning Ethan." she said back smiling.

Iris sat behind her desk and opened her computer. She had investigating to do.

A few hours later Iris clicked her nails on the desk, while she went through various articles. She sighed in frustration.

"Ethan." she called.

The intern rushed quickly to her side. "Yes, Iris?"

"I need you to bring me copies of the newspapers we published the last two years."

Ethan's eyes widened. "So many? Is it important?"

Iris looked him dead on the eyes and said seriously. "Utmost important."

Ethan gulped and nodded his head. "I'll get right to it."

#

Lord industries were very well guarded, not that it was a problem for Alex Danvers.

"You bastard." Alex burst into Max's office kicking the door.

Someone watching nearby would say that there was smoke coming out of the secret agent's ears. Max looked up surprised and a little shaken (not that anyone could blame him with the way Alex stormed into his office) from his work. When his mysterious eyes spotted the fuming Alex Danvers, he relaxed and a playful, arrogant smirk spread on his lips.

"Agent Danvers, to what do I own this wonderful visit?"

Alex glared at him and stormed to his desk. She points a finger at him and spits out.

"I thought you were done messing with my sister Max. Why did you do this to her?" she demanded beyond angry.

"I'm afraid I don't understand Alex. I haven't done anything to Supergirl." Max explained calmly.

Alex huffed, while she continued glaring at him. Maxwell Lord had been accustomed to her glare over a year ago. So he wasn't as intimidated by it as another person would be. Max was a smart man though, he knew that Alex was a dangerous woman and her threats were not made in vain. If she thought that there was a danger towards her beloved sister, Max felt sorry for the man who would suffer her wrath.

"Cut the crap, Max. I know you poisoned Kara with red kryptonite. What I don't understand is why? I thought that after Myriad you and she were on good terms."

Maxwell Lord slowly folded his fingers together on top of his expensive desk and looked blankly at Alex. As she had learned over her many encounters with the man, Max was capable of the perfect poker face. That's why she paid extra close attention to everything he did and how he talked, down to the exact words he used when he spoke. Alex didn't want to be played by him again. Max, on the other hand, had no idea what agent Danvers was talking about. Truth be told, Max had tried to create his own super protector – using not so humane methods – and cast the Kryptonian aside, but it was never his intention to hurt Supergirl. He just had trust issues, like many others. The only mistake he made was the fact that he took too extreme measures – one mistake he promised he wouldn't repeat again. Max learned that lesson during the crisis National City faced, by fellow Kryptonians who wanted to conquer the world, and the only people awake to save Earth was himself, Cat Grant and Supergirl. After seeing Supergirl returning the stolen hope back to the citizens of the city, awakening them from the influence of Myriad and experiencing the power of her speech, Max put this ego aside and called a truce with the Kryptonian. And he never got mixed with anything that had to do with the Danvers sisters.

"I'm sorry Alex, but I don't know what you are talking about." He shook negatively his head. "I didn't create any more red Kryptonite and you know I destroyed the last one. Whatever data I had on my servers, I erased completely. There is not a trace of my research."

Alex narrowed her eyes on his sitting figure. Then she rested her palms on the desk and leaned closer. There were sparks full of hatred flying from her heated gaze.

"I don't believe you." she said slowly.

Max's arm hair rose from the dangerous vibe of her voice. Alex's voice very well could be as cold as Captain Cold's cold gun. Max, though, managed to maintain his unaffected posture.

"I don't really care if you believe me, Alex. I said I had nothing to do with whatever you think happened to Supergirl and I mean it. Now if that's all you came here for, I have work to do."

It was clear that Maxwell Lord was done talking. Alex wasn't particularly happy with how the situation went. She knew one thing though, Maxwell Lord was a stubborn son of a bitch. She wasn't going to pry anything more out of him. Alex felt mad at herself for not getting Max to talk or help reverse Kara's altered personality. She huffed angrily and straightened her back.

"I know you had something to do with Kara going mad and I'm going to prove it." she said before turning on her heels and exiting the room fuming.

"I haven't done anything wrong." she heard him shout behind her. Alex didn't stop or gave any sign of acknowledgment, as she left the building to go back to the D.E.O.

#

Winn back at the D.E.O. was overlooking the video footage of the CatCo building, particularly Kara's working area, in order to determine how exactly Kara got affected by the red kryptonite. He had gotten over the video over and over again and so far he was unable to detect a red substance anywhere near Kara. Winn was confused. His friend's behavior was completely normal up until she spoke briefly with a strange man, who he assumed hadn't said anything interesting and then all hell broke loose. Winn watched as Kara got up from her seat, walked away and then entered her boss' office from the window as Supergirl. She had then yelled at him and in the end, grabbed him by the neck of his coat and flew with him out of the window. The computerer was sure that she hadn't taken him on a nice air trip to show Snapper the view from above.

Alex walked to Winn fuming with rage and sat on his desk. "Please tell me you got something." she said desperately.

Winn arched his eyebrow. "So, I'm assuming it didn't go so well with Maxwell Lord."

She huffed and folded her arms in front of her chest. "No. He wouldn't say anything. He even had the nerve to say that he didn't know what I was talking about and that he had nothing to do with it." she spat angrily. "I mean, that's a dead giveaway that he's guilty."

"Any of you got something?" J'onn approached them.

Alex stood on her feet and nodded her head at her boss, acknowledging him. Then she and Winn both sighed simultaneously. "No, sir." Alex answered. "Lord wouldn't say anything. He claims that everything related to the red kryptonite was destroyed and he never made more of it."

J'onn looked thoughtful over Alex's words. "You believe him?" he finally asked her.

Alex rested her hands on her hips. She wore a determined look on her face. J'onn knew that that look meant business. "He sure was very convincing. But I know Max better. I don't think we have the luxury to check him out of the list. He is unpredictable and he has shown in the past that he loves playing games."

J'onn nodded his head. "Ok. Let's keep an eye on him for now. If he is involved, he will make a mistake at some point." He sighed and then turned his attention to Winn. "What about you mister Schott?"

Winn twisted his pen around his fingers. He shook his head negatively. "Not really. Kara seems fine until she speaks to this guy for a short time and then she went all Avengers on Snapper."

To be honest, Winn didn't feel not the least bit sorry for Snapper. The guy deserved everything he was currently getting from Kara. The way he treated her, Winn wanted to beat him up too and give him a piece of his mind. Winn pointed at the screen of his computer and replayed the scene of Kara talking to the weird looking guy.

"You think this guy was carrying the kryptonite on him? We don't know if Kara can only be affected by touch or by just being near it." J'onn pointed out.

Winn nodded. He hadn't thought the problem by this point of view. If J'onn was correct, the man could have easily carried the substance on his trench coat and Kara would still be affected by it. He zoomed the video on the man and replayed it. Three pairs of eyes watched carefully the footage. They were so still, that someone would question if they were even breathing. Their eyes surely weren't moving.

"Can you play it slower?" J'onn asked.

"Did you see anything?" Alex asked hopefully.

The Martian made an unsure sound. "I'm not sure."

Winn replayed the video in slow motion. The three of them saw Roy Bivolo lower quickly his sunglasses and looking at Kara straight in the eyes. The action was very fast and curt that in normal speed it went undetected. Now though, it was clear that Bivolo had affected the Kryptonian with his eyes and not red kryptonite.

"Oh, my God." Winn mumbled quietly. "I think Maxwell Lord was telling the truth."

Alex looked quickly at him. She didn't know if she wanted to glare at him or look him questionably. J'onn relieved her from that debate.

"How do you mean?"

"Kara wasn't affected by red kryptonite, but a metahuman." Winn explained.

"A metahuman? How do you know that?" J'onn pressed.

"From Barry." Alex sighed starting to get annoyed by how many times the Flash's name had been mentioned the past day. "When we met him, Kara was still straggling with getting the people's trust back. I remember Kara telling me that Barry told her that he had gone through a similar thing. And according to him, there's a metahuman that can make people angry. I don't think he mentioned a name though."

J'onn nodded taking the information in. "If this is a metahuman and mister Allen has encountered him in the past I think we should inform him and his team and bring them for help." Alex was about to object that she was more than capable of dealing with a metahuman, when J'onn continued. "Even if we manage to detain Supergirl, we still don't know how to reverse whatever he did to her. Their team has more experience."

Winn nodded. "That's exactly what I was thinking."

Alex and J'onn walked away talking in hushed voices. Winn picked up his cell phone and smiled dialing the number. One of the perks of living in this new merged world, they could just call each other when one of them needed help. And Winn could now spend much more time with his favorite superhero from another Earth and finally get to meet this Cisco Ramon, who built the inter-dimensional extrapolator. Winn was certain that the two of them would hit it off.


	11. Against Supergirl (part 2)

Chapter 11

"This is insane." Rene declared after he heard the whole story.

First metahumans, then magic, then aliens and now this. Rene was about done with the craziness. Curtis next to him was shaking with excitement. He hadn't said anything because Oliver had given him the dreadful look, but he not so very secretly found it all extremely exciting. Dinah, on the other hand, didn't have an opinion of her own. She was thoughtful, but whatever she was thinking she preferred to keep it to herself.

"It's not really. Once you get used to working with team Flash, then everything is possible." Oliver told him. Then the archer turned to Barry, who was sitting with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he was examining everyone's expressions and gave him a small smile. "I'm proud of you."

As fast as Barry was, he was still not fast enough to see this coming. His eyes froze on Diggle, as they were leaving Rene. Barry heard Felicity choke a little with her own spit. The speedster narrowed his eyes thinking if he had heard correctly and slowly turned his gaze on Oliver.

"Did you just...?"

"Yea, he did." Felicity confirmed her voice betraying how in awe she was with this development.

"Do you think it's a side effect from the worlds merging?" Rene questioned.

"I don't know." Curtis spoke quietly. "But I think I like it."

Oliver licked his lips and raised his hands to calm the people around him. "Hey, relax. It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, it is." Felicity answered quickly.

"Yes. I don't think you've ever said anything so nice to me." Barry continued staring at him oddly.

Rene nodded his head. "Or to any of us."

The archer sighed and then shook his head. He questioned if he should have said anything in the first place. "Look. I'm just proud of the way you handled this." He said to Barry honestly. "When you first-"

The speedster stopped him. "I've learned so much since then, Oliver. You taught me as well."

Oliver nodded his head. Barry was right. It has been over three years since he trained the Flash for the first time. The archer sometimes forgets that Barry is not the same inexperienced new hero anymore.

"It's good you chose STAR labs as our base of operation. It's a big place, has a lot of equipment. It's beyond government reach and Central City is closer. The only thing we have to do is chose a meeting date and call the Legends."

"I was thinking we could meet on the weekends." Barry offered.

Oliver nodded his head thinking about it. He found it logical. "I agree. Besides, no matter what has happened to the world we can't stop protecting our own cities. I'm still the Mayor and all the rest of us have jobs."

"So when we get together, someone has to stay behind to keep the city safe." Dinah concluded. "And we're meeting on weekends because no one will question why we were out of town and we won't have our day jobs."

Barry nodded. This was exactly what they were going to do. They needed to be discreet about their operation, but it needed to be efficient as well. Barry also wanted to talk about the positions in the new team, but without the Legends here Barry would have to wait. It was then that his cell phone rang. Barry saw the number he had saved under Winn's name. Dread went through him, as he looked at the phone. He was certain that Winn wasn't calling for a good reason. The speedster had hoped that they had more time to prepare before bad things started happening. It seems like he didn't get his wish.

"It's Winn. Kara's friend I told you about that works at the D.E.O." he told the rest of them and answered the phone. "Hello, Winn. You are on speaker."

"Hi, Barry...and everyone, I guess." Winn's voice sounded uneasy. "Look, we have a problem."

"What is it?" the Flash asked worriedly.

"We think that Kara was attacked by a metahuman. She was fine and then suddenly it was like she snapped and started acting all angry."

Barry and Oliver exchanged looks. The description sounded too familiar to what happened to Barry when he was whammied by Roy Bivolo.

"We have a weird guy on tape that we think did this to her." Winn continued.

"Can you send the image on my phone?" Barry asked.

"Just did." Came the answer.

Barry's phone rang, the sound of a message having been received. Oliver leaned close to him, as the speedster checked the photo. Both men shivered at the familiar image of Roy Bivolo sitting in front of Kara's desk. Barry gulped and looked at the archer. Oliver glanced at him. He was wearing what Barry came to know as the we-are-screwed look. Barry knew the powers behind Bivolo's glance. He had gone mad, not being able to control not only his anger but his actions as well. Oliver was too aware of the damage someone under Bivolo's power can do. The archer was lucky the first time because Barry was inexperienced, otherwise, Oliver wouldn't stand a chance at stopping him. They both worried what Kara was going to do. It wouldn't be easy stopping her. When they were training against the Dominators she had wiped the floor with them. Barry took a deep breath.

"That's Roy Bivolo and you were right, he is a metahuman. He causes people to get angry and affects the part of their brain that stops them from making irrational decisions." He told Winn. "I'm coming over and I'm bringing some other people with me. And I will call Cisco to bring the device that can reverse the effects."

"Oh, so you know how to reverse it. That's great." Winn let out a relieved sigh.

"It has happened to me before. So, see you in a few." Barry disconnected the call and turned to team Arrow. "I guess we'll have that meeting sooner."

"Barry." Felicity caught the speedster's attention. "None of us can stop Supergirl. And you can't carry all of us to National City."

Barry shook his head. "You're right. Felicity, you call Cisco and tell him to bring the device for Roy Bivolo to where we will be at the D.E.O. I'm bringing Oliver and Dinah with me. The rest of you stay here."

"Barry, you are forgetting that I can't fight Supergirl." The emerald archer reminded him.

"No, but you have the most tactical mind. And you need to meet with J'onn."

"And what about me? I've never fought Supergirl before. Is there even a possibility to win?" Dinah questioned.

"I'll tell you later." Was the only thing Barry said to the Black Canary.

Oliver felt the familiar touch on his back, whenever the Flash sped him anywhere, and then his vision blurred. Strong wind hit his face as the speedster carried them through the streets at a slow pace because he didn't want their suits to catch fire. Oliver's eyes watered and then as soon as it had started, they stopped. Oliver took a few moments to orientate to his new surroundings. Dinah gasped on the other side of the Flash, having never traveled with the speedster before. She looked around, her mind trying to cope with what just happened to her.

"Welcome to the D.E.O. Thank you for coming." a dark skin man said.

The Flash lowered his mask. Dinah thought he was crazy for reviling his identity to a stranger. She was about to scold him when Barry spoke.

"J'onn these are a few of my friends, the Green Arrow and Black Canary. Guys this is J'onn. He is in charge of the D.E.O...and he is also a Martian."

"Nice to meet you." J'onn said to the other two visitors.

J'onn wasn't upset that the Flash had reviled that he was an alien to his friends. He understood that if they were to work together, they needed to trust each other. And that wouldn't be possible with secrets between then.

Oliver lowered his hood and took off his mask as well. "Oliver Queen." He offered his hand.

J'onn took it and the two men shook hands. Oliver turned and looked at Black Canary. She sighed and took off her mask too. "Dinah Drake."

"Nice to meet you, Dinah. This is agent Danvers, agent Schott and Mon-El. Now, let's talk about this metahuman."

#

Iris West was looking through the various articles Ethan had brought her and those she could find on the internet. The young intern was confused and overwhelmed – not that Iris could blame the boy. Ethan didn't know what they were looking for and to be honest, Iris wasn't sure either. For now, she was reading every big story she could find. Iris was certain about one thing. The world was different for sure. She read stories she never had before, about Supergirl and her cousin Superman and aliens. She also read about Kryptonians attacking National City and about Slaver's Moon. She and Ethan had been reading for hours. Finally, she asked him to take a break. Then she started to compare notes of the information they had at STAR labs. Iris frowned when she didn't find anything about the Dominators. She knew that Cisco had made a very detailed file about their encounter with the aliens. So why couldn't she find it? Iris couldn't make any connection. She was squishing her mind trying to figure out why all the people remembered their world as the same and only they knew the truth. Why were they spared the amnesia? What made them different than the others? Then suddenly her eyes widened. She had figured it out. Iris couldn't believe that she had figured it out. But honestly, it was so simple. The pen fell from her fingers and rolled from her desk to the ground.

"Oh, my God." She whispered.

#

Mon-El was standing behind Winn with Alex by his side, while Winn was trying to locate Kara. The three other superheroes were standing opposite them on the other side of the table. Aside from Barry, Mon-El didn't recognize either people standing by the scarlet speedster's sides.

"Do you have a way to overpower Supergirl?" the Green Arrow spoke bluntly.

Barry knew that it was pointless to confront Oliver about being rude to people, so he just gave the vigilante a pointed look and left it at that. Oliver saw the look but didn't make an attempt to react in any way.

"Well, we don't have any more kryptonite at the D.E.O. Last time, it got into the wrong hands and we didn't want anything similar to happen again, so we got rid of it." J'onn informed the three heroes.

"Why are we discussing this? We should go find her before she does something she might regret later." Mon-El objected.

"We need a plan." Flash and Green Arrow said at the same time.

"Are you stupid? Going after Kara without a plan is reckless. She is the most powerful individual between all of us. She's not stupid and thanks to what Bivolo did to her she has no control over her aggressive actions. Approaching her without a strategic plan is foolish." Oliver glared at him.

Mon-El put his hands on his hips and glared back at Oliver. "We're wasting time." He raised his voice. "I'm as strong as her. I can take her."

"Kara prefers to fight in the air." Flash cut in. "As far as I know none of us can fly except you J'onn."

J'onn nodded agreeing with the Flash. Mon-El gasped and looked at Alex for support. The older Danvers sister was quiet throughout the whole discussion. All she wanted was for her little sister to be herself again. Her sisterly instincts were screaming at her to take Mon-El's side. The agent part of her, though, agreed with the Green Arrow and Flash. Alex heard Oliver sigh.

"Look, I don't know why you brought me here Barry if I can't do anything to help."

The Flash quickly shook his head. "You know how to stage a battle better than any of us. Besides, even if you can't physically fight Kara, I still feel more comfortable having you by my side."

Underneath all the green he was wearing, Oliver actually blushed a little. "That's sweet."

Dinah rolled her eyes at the men by her side. "Yea, before we get besides the point, why am I here?" she directed the question at Barry.

Like he suddenly remembered something, Barry's eyes light up. "Dinah has a sonic scream." He told all of them.

"Like Silver Banshee." Winn exclaimed enthusiastically.

Barry nodded. "Yea. So on our first team up with Kara, we went up against Livewire and Silver Banshee and Banshee's sonic scream affected Kara. I saw her ears bleeding." Alex frowned at the thought of her sister hurt, or that they were discussing ways to hurt her. Barry saw that and continued. "It won't be enough to stop her, but it will surely disorient her and distract her."

Oliver by his side was nodding repeatedly. "That's great thinking. OK, I have a plan." The rest of them turned their full attention to the archer, Winn and Barry even going so far as leaning a little closer to the man. J'onn crossed his arms, Alex stayed unmoving and Mon-El refused to lose his frown. "If Kara is flying, J'onn you have to bring the battle to the ground somehow. Dinah and Flash will distract her in order of Mon-El to get closer and nock her out. I'm assuming that Kara is much more experienced in fighting than you." He looked pointing at the alien.

Mon-El refused to look at the Star City vigilante, but his frown changed and eventually, he groaned. "You're right." Mon-El didn't like to admit it, but Oliver had a point.

J'onn cleared his throat. "Kara, the minute she reaches the ground, is going to use her heat vision. It's her immediate defense. We might not be fast enough and I doubt Black Canary's sonic scream can protect her."

"I can create a speed mirage to confuse her." Barry said.

"A what?" five pairs of voices questioned at the same time.

All heads turned to the scarlet speedster. Oliver, even though he hadn't spoken because he was used to the speedster saying things he didn't understand, had turned too, looking at his friend oddly. Barry seeing the confusion in all of their faces smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth to explain quickly.

"When I run I can leave after images of myself. It basically looks like I'm in multiple places at once."

"That's cool." Winn said in awe.

Alex had to agree with him. Kara's friends turned out to be more fascinating that she had originally imagined. J'onn smiled.

"Ok. Let's go. Winn where is Kara?"

#

Supergirl was currently holding her boss above the CatCo rooftop. Snapper had long stopped crying, his eyes not having any more tears to shed. Kara was enjoying the view from the building feeling her anger coming and go. The superhero couldn't understand why she couldn't control her emotions like she used to, but being affected by the metahuman she didn't care. A part of her ascribed her loose of control to the fact that she had finally had enough. Her peaceful moment was interrupted when the Kryptonian heard the familiar whoosh of the Flash having arrived at the top of the roof.

"Let me talk to her first." The speedster said to his coms.

"Hello, Flash." Supergirl said without looking at him.

"Hello, Supergirl. What, uh, what are you doing up here?" the speedster approached the woman carefully like she was a wild animal he didn't want to scare.

"I'm enjoying this peaceful view." Kara still didn't look at him.

The Flash took a few more steps closer to her. "And why is Mr. Snapper with you?"

This time Supergirl spared him a quick glance. "I'm showing him what it's like to be me when I'm flying every day to save people."

Now Flash was a few meters away from the girl of steel. His green eyes canvassed his surroundings. He knew that J'onn was just underneath the roof waiting for his turn if things went south. And Black Canary with Mon-El were on the ground ready to execute their part of the plan. The scarlet speedster hoped that it wouldn't come to that. He hated fighting his friends, even if they were not themselves. That's why he had suggested that he talked to Kara first. Maybe he could convince her to come willingly at the D.E.O to cure her. Barry hadn't done anything to anger the Kryptonian, so he had the most chances to be successful.

"Listen, Supergirl. You know I'm your friend right? I mean we have teamed up many times and I haven't done anything bad to you. Have I?"

Barry decided to approach the matter little by little. He wanted Kara to understand that what he was saying was right and logical, not try and force the answer to her face. If he came out and said to her that she was affected and didn't know what she was doing, not only Kara wouldn't believe him, but she would attack him in a matter of seconds. The Flash having been affected by Roy Bivolo's powers before knew how that made you feel and think – or in their case, not think. So he needed to approach this just right.

Supergirl turned her body fully facing the scarlet speedster now. She wore a thoughtful look on her face. "Yes." She said.

The Flash licked his lips. That was progress. "So you know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

Supergirl pressed her lips in a thin line as her eyes pierced through the speedster. "Where are you going with this Flash?" she asked impatiently.

Flash almost cursed out loud. That wasn't a good sign. He cleared his throat before speaking. "You remember how I told you that I was once affected by a metahuman that made me very angry and that I didn't have the mind to control my actions? That I did some bad things and that after I was cured I regretted them very much?"

Supergirl nodded her head. "Yes. So?"

The Flash licked his lips again. "Well, you have been affected as well. I saw Bivolo using his powers on you."

Snapper, who was quiet all his time, looked from Supergirl to the fastest man alive and back to her. Kara narrowed her eyes on the Flash.

"You are wrong." She said with a strong voice. "I'm not affected. I know what I'm doing."

"You think you know. That's what I thought too when I was under his spell. But, you don't want to frighten or hurt this man. I know that you are going to regret it when you are yourself again."

Supergirl started getting angry. Barry could see it in her stormy blue eyes. It wasn't working. It only made her angrier.

"You don't know what I feel." She yelled and unleashed her heat vision.

The Flash ran out of the way. Martian Manhunter flew from his spot and landed next to the speedster. "We have to go through with the plan. But what about Snapper?"

"Leave him to me." Barry reassured him.

With a nod, the alien flew straight at Supergirl. He fell on her and drifted her on the next building. From the force of his attack, Supergirl lost her grip on Snapper. The man started freefalling until the Flash caught him and running on the side of the building he brought the man down and set him on the cement far away from the fight. Flash checked the man at super speed for injuries and when he found none he sped back to Mon-El and Black Canary.

"What is going on up there?" he asked no one specifically.

"It's the "Wrath of the Titans" up there, I'm telling you." Winn's voice sounded in his ear.

"Barry, J'onn is not holding up very well. You need to go up there for back up." Oliver said through the com.

"On it." The Flash responded and then he sped off.

Supergirl and Martian Manhunter were going at it like Zeus and Kronos. Well, if one of them was a girl. Supergirl threw a punch and the Martian repelled it. J'onn hit Kara on the stomach. The force threw her on the wall cracking the cement through all the stories. Supergirl got even angrier. Every time she got hit or missed a punch her rage fueled. She screamed as she unleashed her heat vision on J'onn. J'onn hadn't recovered from Kara's previous blow and he wasn't quick enough to avoid her heat vision. The laser hit the Martian in the chest sending him crashing through the building, leaving him unconscious. Supergirl flew closer to finish him. Seeing this, the Flash sped in front of the hole J'onn created by the force Supergirl hit him. He couldn't let her pass him. J'onn was the only one who could bring Supergirl on the ground level. Determined he impaled his feel on the floor, his eyes never leaving Supergirl as she flew super fast towards him and sped his arms. Kara didn't stop in time and the force of the whirlwind threw her off course. Unfortunately for the scarlet speedster she recovered quickly and repulsed with her own freeze breath. Barry was forced to spin his arms faster. No matter how fast he went, though, Kara was still holding her own pretty well. _Faster!_ Barry thought to himself. And he sped up the swing of his arms. The Flash didn't think he had ever sped his arms so fast before. The fires he had put out definitely didn't need so much power. Kara was still holding her own. So Flash went faster. A scream escaped his mouth as his arms went faster than he thought possible. The scream sounded strange to his ears. Flash heard the sound like it came from someone else. But the speedster knew it was his own.

"Can he do it?" Dinah questioned from the ground seeing the battle.

"I believe in you, Barry." Oliver said from the coms.

"I don't know if I can hold her off much longer." Barry struggled.

"You have to. Barry, keep going. You can do this." Oliver continued.

J'onn came to with a groan. He had hit his head when he went through the wall. It hurt like hell. J'onn brought his hand on his head when he heard the Flash scream. He turned his head and saw the man in the red suit push back Kara's freeze breath with his spinning arms. He would have stayed there admiring the man for his clever use of his speed if his tactical mind didn't speak first. He needed to help him. The Flash could hold Supergirl off for so long and the kid was struggling already.

J'onn flew through a broken window of the other side of the room and fell with force on Supergirl taking her with him on the ground. The two aliens created a small crater as they landed with force. Kara was the first one to get up, trying to stay on her feet.

"Dinah, now!" Oliver yelled.

That was the plan they had discussed after all. When Supergirl was on the ground, Dinah would use her Canary Cry to disorient her and make time for Mon-El to attack. But before Black Canary could use her powers, Mon-El ran to Supergirl and attacked.

"What are you doing?" she screamed at him.

The Daxamite didn't answer. Instead, he threw a punch at his girlfriend. Kara caught his fist and hit him on the jaw. Dinah felt a guilty satisfaction from this. The moron had ruined the plan. Now, what were they going to do? Kara and Mon-El fought, Kara clearly having the upper hand. J'onn got up and tried to help Mon-El, but Kara used her heat vision again. J'onn landed a few meters away. He was hurt. He couldn't get up. Every movement he made, it felt like he was getting hit by a lightning bolt.

"J'onn, stay down. You can't fight like this." Alex told him.

"I have to help." The Martian objected.

"You can't help like this. You are hurt." Oliver said. "Barry, how are you?"

The Flash had fallen on the dirty floor after J'onn had taken Supergirl with him. He was sweating through his suit and the cowl on his face felt melted on his head. He breathed heavily. It had taken a lot out of him to hold Kara off for so long.

"I'm fine. Not hurt, but I need a little rest before I go back out there." He told his partner.

"Dinah, can you use your powers?"

The Black Canary watched as Kara and Mon-El fought constantly changing positions. She bit her lip and groaned in frustration. "No. They are constantly changing positions. I could easily hit Mon-El instead."

To be completely honest, Dinah didn't mind hitting Mon-El with her sonic powers after he sabotaged their plan, but she knew that it wasn't the mature thing to do. Besides, they still needed the fool.

Kara and Mon-El exchanged fists some finding their target and others not.

"Please, Kara. I know you are in there. You know that this isn't you." He tried to get through to her.

"You don't know anything!" Kara yelled in return.

Her fist collided with his jaw and Mon-El went flying on top of a vehicle. Before he could get on his feet, Kara was already by his side and kicked him in the stomach. Mon-El groaned from the pain. Supergirl hit him on the face and this time his vision blurred. Kara raised her fist to hit him again, but unknown to her she had cleared her view for Dinah. The metahuman took this chance and used her scream on the Kryptonian. Supergirl fell to the ground holding her ears. As Barry had predicted, the Canary Cry had affected her just us Silver Banshee's sonic scream had. Kara's ears bled. There were few times when Supergirl had felt pain like this. The scream stopped and Kara felt disoriented. She stumbled on her feet, as she got up. Her eyes searched for Black Canary. She found her the moment the vigilante opened her mouth to unleash another scream. Kara screamed and used her heat vision before Dinah had the chance. The metahuman got hit right in the chest and fell down unconscious. Oliver screamed at the com, but he got no answer. Black Canary was down. J'onn was down as well, even though he insisted he could still fight. Flash was sort of down and so was Mon-El. Oliver felt desperate. This wasn't supposed to happen. He sighed and combed his short hair with his fingers.

"What are we going to do?" Alex whispered dreadfully by his side.

"Barry, how are you feeling?" he asked the speedster.

"I'm not fully charged, but I can go down now." He answered. "Mon-El, can you hold on a little longer?"

Been beaten to a pulp, Mon-El groaned. "I can try."

Mon-El couldn't see clearly. Just shadows. But he knew when Kara swung her fist to strike again. He raised his arm and stopped it from colliding with his face.

"Kara, please." He whispered.

He wasn't sure if his girlfriend heard him, but he had to say it. He had never fought so hard with Kara in the past. It was clear to him now that she had gone easy on him every time they trained. Mon-El had never felt so sore before. His entire body hurt.

"Hey, Supergirl!" Flash shouted from somewhere behind Supergirl, getting her attention.

Kara turned and saw the scarlet speedster staring at her from behind his mask. He had a determined look on his face, his back was straight and his shoulders back. Yellow electricity surrounded his red suit. Kara felt the power of his speed radiating from his body. In her state of mind, it only made her angrier.

"Want to have a go with me?" the Flash smirked at her.

And then Supergirl found herself surrounded by many Flashes. There were at least two dozen of them. Kara was confused. She had never seen Barry use this power. She hit one on the Flashes with her heat vision, but it went right through. She yelled in frustration.

"You can't catch me." The speedster's voice mocked her. "Not like this."

In her subconscious, Kara knew that Barry was trying to confuse her. That giving her more than one target, she would never hit the real him. And that made her mad. She screamed and unleashed her heat vision again only she turned in a circle this time, hitting all of the images of the scarlet speedster. Unfortunately for her, none of them were the real Flash.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" she screamed full of rage hitting every speed mirage that was in her way.

Mon-El groaned from the ground. His vision was beginning to blacken. Suddenly he found himself in another place. Flash was kneeling above him and J'onn was beside him, on the ground.

"Are you ok?" Barry asked.

"I can't move." Mon-El managed to say.

"Go back out there. Kara will be coming here as soon as you stopped to bring us here." J'onn motioned for Barry to leave.

"It's fine." The speedster reassured him. "I'm still maintaining the mirage as we speak. I'm running back and forth, it will keep her busy for a while, but I can't stop her just with that."

J'onn's mouth hung open after hearing the words that left Barry's mouth. He checked on Mon-El, but the boy was out cold. He raised his head and looked at the Flash.

"Ok. Take me with-"

"No." he interrupted him. "You can't come. You are badly injured."

Without leaving the Martian time to complain, Flash left and returned his full attention on Supergirl. He felt beyond tired already and he didn't know for how much longer he could maintain this speed mirage. He needed to act fast. He brought his hand at the com.

"Alex. How fast can Kara heal?"

The secret agent and bioengineer was confused at the speedster's question, but she answered anyway. "Pretty fast."

"Can she safer permanent damage?"

Now Alex was beyond confused. She glanced at Oliver, but the archer just shrugged his shoulders. Alex sighed and spoke to the microphone. "No. Only by kryptonite and even then, after it's removed she heals perfectly."

Flash nodded his head. "Thanks, that's all I needed to know."

"What are you going to do to her?" Alex asked afraid for her sister.

"Is Cisco there with the device to reverse the effects?" Barry asked instead.

"I'm here." Cisco answered.

Relaxed that he had everything he needed, the Flash prepared to make his move. Kara's rage was fueling as she couldn't hit his speed mirages. She yelled in frustration. And while she was occupied lashing out on a fake image of the Flash, Barry came behind her and vibrated his hand right through her skull knocking her out. If this was any other person, she would be dead right now. That's why Barry needed to know that Kara could recover from this. The Flash caught the Kryptonian on his arms and ran her to the D.E.O. Cisco had already set the device and was ready to use it. Barry settled Supergirl on the chair in front of the device. At their arrival, Alex rushed to her sister's side. She saw her lying on the chair helpless. Dread surged through her entire body. She raised her trembling hands and touched Kara's face.

"What did you do to her?" she whispered.

Barry sighed. "I vibrated my hand through her brain."

"WHAT?" Alex yelled looking the speedster in the eye.

"That's why I needed to know that she could recover. I never thought that I would do something like that. But everyone was down and I had to do something." Barry tried to defend himself.

Oliver put a hand on the speedster's shoulder. "You did what you had to." He consoled him.

No matter the archer's words, Barry still felt awful. He had never imagined that he would have to do something so cruel and to one of his friends no less. Bitter poison pierced his stomach. He couldn't watch Kara lying like this and knowing that he did this to her. Barry felt like he was going to faint. Oliver seeing him looking like he was about to die grabbed him by his shoulders and warded off.

"Why don't you go bring back the others?" He suggested. Barry was about to protest, so Oliver quickly cut him off. "They are wounded and need medical attention. Plus, we can't leave them for the citizens to discover."

Barry sighed but nodded. He knew that Oliver was right. So with a heavy heart, he sped off and went to bring back Dinah, J'onn and Mon-El, so that they could receive medical treatment.

Kara came to a few moments later. Alex released a big breath at the sight of her sister waking up and hugged her. Kara tried to move her hands, but she found she was unable to.

"Why am I handcuffed?" she demanded angrily.

"We had to, Kara." Winn spoke shyly.

Kara glared at him with rage and tried to break the handcuffs.

"Hey, look at me." Cisco yelled.

It worked. Kara turned her head to look at Cisco. At that moment the engineer pressed the button and bright colors started shining from the machine. Kara blinked and then looked around her.

"Oh, Rao." She whispered, holding her head as a terrible headache pierced her skull. "What have I done." She continued, her voice sounding horrified.

Alex came to her side and hugged her. "It wasn't your fault."

Barry was back again and the three wounded were being treated. "Is she ok?" he rushed to her side.

Kara raised her face from her sister's shoulder. Barry could see the tears in her eyes. It made in stomach hurt. "Barry, I'm so sorry." She cried.

"It wasn't your fault, Kara. I'm glad you are ok. I didn't want to hurt you."

The Kryptonian shook her head. "I'm glad you stopped me. Thank you for being here. I don't know what I would have done if you and the others hadn't come. Oh, my God. How are they? Mon-El, J'onn? I hurt them all. How is that woman?"

"They are all going to be fine." Alex reassured her. "They are all resting and so should you."

Kara shook her head, refusing, but Oliver gave her a pointed look. "You need to rest. When everyone is ok to be on their feet again we have to talk." He told her.

Kara nodded her head and walked to a crib in the medical room and lay down.


	12. Legends and vibes

Chapter 12

Dr. Caitlin Snow was pacing nervously in the cortex of STAR labs, wondering what was happening in National City. Her friend, Felicity Smoak, kept her company sitting behind the desk, but doing nothing to calm down the young doctor. Both hadn't heard from their teams since Barry ran them there and Cisco opened a breach and carried the Rainbow Raider's reversing device at the D.E.O. Caitlin had wanted to go with him at the secret agency's base, but the engineer insisted against it, claiming that she should stay here with Felicity to wait for the arrival of the Legends and that they all would be coming back to the lab soon. It has been three hours since she had spoken to him and not one member of the teams had come back or made contact.

Wally was at the speed lab running circles, trying not to think about what was going on. Iris was at CCPN and Joe hadn't visited from the station. Rene had found the punching bag Barry keeps in one of the training rooms for when he wants to blow off some steam and with nothing else to do Rene decided to practice his fists. Caitlin admitted that the bag was more useful to Rene than it was to Barry since he almost immediately broke them with his speed. Now, Curtis, neither woman knew where he was. He had told them that he was going to take a look around the facility and that's the last they both saw of him. As for Diggle, he decided to stay in Star City. He didn't want to leave the city alone while all of team Arrow was away. Caitlin came to a stop in front of the blonde.

"You think they are ok?" she asked worriedly.

Felicity looked at Caitlin biting her lip. "I hope so."

#

At the D.E.O Winn shyly approached Cisco, who was silently watching Barry and Oliver converse about what happened in the field.

"Hey...hi." He said awkwardly gaining the other man's attention. "You are Cisco, right? The one that made Kara the device to travel between our worlds."

"It's actually called 'Inter-dimensional extrapolator'." Cisco was quick to correct the name of his creation.

"That's a cool name." Winn grinned wildly shaking his head. "I'm Winn by the way, Kara's friend. We weren't introduced before with all that was happening and all..."

Cisco smiled at the man and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Winn. Kara told us a little about you, while she was on our Earth helping us fight the Dominators. You are a computerer right?"

Winn nodded viciously his head. "Yea, I am. I handle all the technical problems and occasional hacking."

"You should meet Felicity. She is on team Arrow, but I'm telling you she's the best hacker in every universe. The three of us should exchange same pretty amazing stories."

Winn felt excitement bubble in his insides. "That would be awesome. I wanted to ask you about the Inter-dimensional extrapolator, because Kara let me have a look at it and I am so impressed at how beautiful it is. I mean, it's an amazing piece of technology I've ever seen. But I can't understand how it works."

Cisco felt pride rise in his chest. It felt good to be complimented for his work, much more by someone who obviously understood a lot about tech. Cisco may be a metahuman/ superhero-in-making now, but first of all, he was and still is an engineer. Cisco was at the top of his field when the first Wells a.k.a. Eobard Thawn employed him to work at STAR labs. For him, tech was his heart and soul. Cisco smiled brightly at Winn.

"It's quite simple, to be honest." He said with a small laugh. "I was inspired by how my powers of manipulating the frequencies work. Each Earth vibrates at a very unique, different frequency..."

"And that's why they can't see one another." Winn interrupted. "Barry explained it briefly when we first met him." He explained.

"Right. So, those different frequencies are what separates the worlds, but...when those two frequencies collide with each other they become unstable. They create a boom of sort and that's how a breach get's created. The extrapolator does exactly that."

"A temporary get away to another world." Winn concluded in amazement.

It was mind-blowing really. Winn had stayed many nights awake trying to solve the puzzle of dimensional travel. But as much as he brainstormed, he was nowhere near finding the answer. Now though? Cisco was right. It's so simple and so clear. How could he have not figured it out sooner?

"Hey, guys." Alex entered the room, gaining all four men attention. "They are awake. J'onn and Mon-El are almost healed, but Dinah is still healing. Kara is with them right now." She informed them. Oliver and Barry nodded their heads, while Cisco and Winn just stayed silent. "I think we should move them to your headquarters. The agents will start asking questions and I'd rather not answer them. You have some kind of doctor who takes care of you right?" she directed the question to Barry.

The speedster only grinned slightly. "Only the best Dr. Caitlin Snow."

"It's a good idea. We don't want to raise suspicions. Is Dinah awake?" Oliver asked.

"She was, but she fell asleep again."

"I'll carry her then. Let's go."

Alex turned on her heels and exited the room with Oliver following her close by. Barry turned to the other two.

"I see you two already met." He stated, not waiting for an answer.

"Barry, I am coming too at STAR labs. Cisco told me that you already have a very skilled hacker, but I wanted to come over for so long. I was so jealous when I didn't get to come last time."

Barry chuckled at the man, who was clearly very excited about the new arrangements. "Ok, I think the more the merrier. Cisco when you are ready, open the breach. And don't worry about the reverser, I'll speed it back to the lab."

Cisco gave his friend a look of gratitude that he wouldn't have to carry the damn thing again. Opening a portal was not easy and now with having to transport so many people he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to grab the Prism reverser.

"I'm ready." He told Barry, who in return clapped his shoulder.

#

Bright blue light illuminated the breach room of STAR labs. In the cortex, an alarm went off signalizing all the people who were there. Caitlin immediately walked over to the computer to check what it was.

"What is it? Is it a metahuman?" Felicity asked freaking out.

The doctor shook her head and turned to look at her blonde friend smiling. "No, a breach is opening at the breach room. I think they are coming back."

Felicity sighed and relaxed. Then she looked alarmed again. "You think?"

"Well... it could be someone from another Earth, but I doubt it. I'm pretty sure it's them."

"And why couldn't Cisco just transport them in this room?"

"There are probably a lot of people coming. We have the breach room for a reason." Caitlin explained.

Felicity nodded and sighed.

Barry Allen was the first person to enter the cortex along with Kara and Alex. J'onn was next with an overexcited Winn, who could not stop aweing all the way form the breach room to the cortex. Last was Oliver, who was caring a sleeping and bruised Dinah Drake, and an exhausted Cisco.

"Oh, my God! What happened to her?" Felicity was the first one on her feet upon seeing her friend beaten.

"I'm afraid that's my fault." Said Kara, feeling guilty for beating the woman.

"She's going to be fine. Nothing too severe. Besides we knew we would get hurt going up against Supergirl." Oliver told Felicity, then turned his attention to Caitlin. "Where should I lay her down?"

Caitlin got immediately in doctor mode. "Over here." She motioned for Oliver to follow her to the next room where the med bay was.

Alex looked around the cortex. She was very impressed by all the technology there was in just one room. STAR labs looked like an expensive high classed technological empire. Alex found herself wanting to practice her bioengineer skills at this place. The D.E.O was impressive, but STAR labs was like playground for Alex. She imagined all the things she could do with the equipment that was just in this room. She couldn't imagine what other toys team Flash held in the other rooms. They even had a freaking _Breach Room_ just for breaches, so Alex only imagined that there was a lot to discover. Winn was thinking exactly the same thing as Alex was.

"I thought that STAR labs closed down after the particle accelerator exploded." She said to no one in particular.

"Barry owns the place now." Cisco told her sitting on his chair next to Felicity.

"You do?" Kara, Alex and Winn spoke at the same time looking at the speedster.

"After Harrison Wells passed away, he left STAR labs to me, along with everything STAR owned." He explained simply. "Are the Legends coming?" Barry asked Felicity.

Felicity nodded. "They are. And Iris is coming as well. She said she figured out why only we remember two different Earths."

#

Iris arrived at STAR labs coincidentally the same time team Legends did. She walked like a turbine into the cortex followed by Sara, Ray, Professor Stein, Jax, Amaya, Nate and Mick Rory. By then Rene had joined the rest of team Arrow in the main room, Wally had returned from the speed lab and so had Curtis from wherever he was wandering about. The introductions between the four teams were made and once everyone knew all the others and what part they had on the teams it was time to discuss the matter that brought them all together. When Rene suggested that someone should volunteer to tell the whole story without anyone else interrupting, everyone turned and looked at Barry. The speedster first groaned and then sighed and started explaining the situation to the Legends, who heard the story for the first time. Needless to say that only Professor Stein understood the magnitude of what Barry told them. The rest of the Legends just tried to grasp the idea by focusing on the general simple facts: there were two Earths. Now they are one, and only the people in the room knew. The rest of the word remembers nada.

"Iris you said you found something about the memory thing." Felicity asked the journalist.

Iris nodded. "First, I checked all the articles that involve superheroes and I found out that there are articles about people from Earth-38 published by CCPN that never excised and vise versa." She explained.

"But that means that our Earths blended like they were always one, not just patches in reality." Cisco noted.

"Exactly." Iris agreed. "Then I went through the files we have at STAR labs and there was nothing regarding the Dominator – I know you had a very detailed file about the invasion Cisco."

"Yes, I do have a file. What do you mean it wasn't there?" Cisco demanded.

Iris surged her shoulders. "It's like the file never existed because the attack never happened."

"What do you mean it never happened? I was there?" Kara asked confused.

"That's exactly why. You were there. And you were from a different Earth. You weren't supposed to be there."

Barry's eyes suddenly widened realizing where Iris was going with this. "I think I know what you mean. So, everything that happened when people from different Earths interacted actually never occurred."

Cisco gasped realizing that Barry was right. "Dios mio! You are right."

"But I never came to your Earth, how can I remember?" Winn asked.

"You interacted with Barry when he breached to your Earth by accident." He told him. "And J'onn and Mon-El brought Kara over here when the whole Music Meister fiasco happened. And team Arrow -except from Dinah- and Legends interacted with Kara during the invasion."

"That's why James remembers too." Kara concluded.

"Yea, but why does it matter that we interacted with each other?" asked J'onn. "Why didn't the events stay as they were? Why did they got erased?"

The Martian had a point. Everyone stayed silent trying to explain the why. Until Cisco spoke first. "It has to do with the vibrational frequencies. We should exist separately. We shouldn't be able to come to your Universe and neither should you. It's not natural. The laws of physics don't allow it. So I'm guessing that the different frequencies emanated from our bodies disrupted that."

"And when the Earths merged the balance of the world needed to be stable, so everything unnatural got erased." Professor Stein finished Cisco's thought. "It's quite astonishing." He said excitedly.

"I didn't understand anything either of you said just now, but it seems like a lot of shit is going down, so I'm in." Mick grumbled.

"I think I should call my cousin and tell him what is going on." Kara voiced her thoughts.

"That's a good idea." Agreed Alex and J'onn nodded positively as well.

"Is your cousin like you?" Oliver asked interested to see if there was another super-powered Kryptonian.

"Yes. He's Superman." Kara answered the archer.

Oliver nodded. "You should tell him. We might need his help."

Kara silently nodded and walked away from the cortex to call Kal-El. Unfortunately, his phone kept going to voicemail, which is very unlike her cousin. After she tried calling him five times and him not picking up, Kara decided that Kal-El must be doing Superman work. So, she texted Lois Lane, his fiancée, to tell Kal-El to call her as soon as possible. What Kara didn't expect was Lois to text her back that Clark wasn't in Metropolis at all. Shocked beyond imagination, confused as to where her cousin was and worried that he might be in trouble, Kara returned to the cortex and informed the others that she would fly to Metropolis to see what was going on.

#

Kara flew as fast as she could to Metropolis. She landed in the alley next to her cousin's apartment that he shared with Lois and changed quickly to her civilian clothes. Fixing her glasses on her nose, Kara entered the building and walked into the elevator, pressing the button of the level she wanted to go. Lois was waiting for her on the front door of her apartment. The journalist was accustomed to Clark's quick arrivals, so she knew that his cousin would be there just as fast. Seeing the blonde, Lois opened her arms and hugged her.

"I'm happy to see you, Kara. Come inside."

"Thank you, Lois. It's nice to see you." She smiled back.

Kara and Lois entered the apartment. Lois closed the door and led Kara to sit on the couch in the living room. Kara had visited Clark a few times in the past, but not too often because they didn't want to raise any questions and to keep Clark's secret identity as Superman a secret. Kara cleared her throat and adjusted awkwardly her fake glasses on her nose. Lois laughed pleasantly.

"You know, Clark always does that too. The thing with the glasses I mean. It's one of the things I find cute about him."

Kara's cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the remark. "Well, we are related after all." She laughed awkwardly.

Lois laughed and nodded her head in amusement. It was always entertaining meeting with Clark's younger cousin. Lois really liked Kara and enjoyed her company.

"So, do you know where Kal is?" the Kryptonian asked.

Lois sighed looked at the floor before returning her gaze back to Kara. "I don't know where he is." She shook her head hating to disappoint the young woman. "About a week ago Clark came home in a hurry and said that he was asked by someone to go and help with a global life threatening threat. He said that he was recruited along with someone named Rip Hunter on a two-person mission and that it was of utmost importance. That the whole Multiverse was at stake." She explained. "I know about the Multiverse, though I don't fully understand it. Clark tried to explain it to me like you explained it to him. He didn't say what the threat was or where he was going or how long he will be gone. He asked me if he should go or stay here and to be honest in the way he described it I knew that he needed to go. So I told him to go and I haven't heard from him ever since."

Kara didn't know what to say. After she met Barry Allen the first time and learned about the existence of the Multiverse, Kara had told her cousin all about her exciting new friend and where he came from. Of course, Kal wasn't a person of science much and Kara had tried to do her best to make him understand. He got the general idea, but in the end, so had Kara.

"So you have no idea." She mumbled to herself.

"I'm sorry." Lois offered apologetically. "Is there something wrong?"

Kara bit her lip and nodded. "Some superhero friends and I have discovered that our Earths have merged. And I mean they are harmonized like they were always one. And we are the only people from both planets that know the difference."

Lois opened her mouth shocked. "Oh, my God. How did that happen?"

The Kryptonian shook her shoulders. "We are not sure yet. We decided to get together, all our teams and try to figure it out. It's not natural for this to happen, so we think that a big threat is coming. That's why I was looking for Kal. I wanted to tell him what is going on."

Lois still in shock nodded. "Wow. Your life is never boring, is it?" she asked playfully.

"Nope. Never." Kara laughed and shook her head.

"So, I guess that this information is never to be published."

As a reporter herself, Kara knew the feeling of wanting the people to always know the truth. Her superhero and reporter sides were at conflict in the beginning as well, but Kara agreed with Barry and J'onn that they needed to keep what was happening to themselves. After all, it was a sensitive matter and not many people would understand or even accept the truth. They barely knew what they were dealing with themselves. Kara could see what would happen if their knowledge ever got public. Riots, panic and chaos. That's what would happen. And the government would for sure try and mingle with them. Kara was not a big fan of the government ever since the president ordered the D.E.O. not to interfere with the Daxamite spaceship.

"No, it can't." she answered honestly.

But Lois already knew the answer. She knew herself form dating a Superhero, that some things are to stay secret. Suddenly Kara had an idea. Her blue eyes widened.

"Oh, Rao! I think I know how to find Kal." She exclaimed happily.

Lois looked questionably at her. "How?"

Kara grabbed her phone and called Cisco. With his ability to vibe people, Kara hoped that her friend would be able to find her cousin. "It's complicated to explain. But I know someone who can see things. Hey, Cisco. I need your help."

#

Cisco arrived within three minutes. He didn't bother knocking, he opened a portal in the middle of the living room and walked in startling Lois, who had never seen anyone transport into her living room before. Vibe found it a little difficult to open a portal since he had never been to Metropolis before. So he focused on Kara in order to help him get the place right. He had started getting the hang of it. Seeing the stranger in her apartment, Lois jerked on her feet.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" she tried not to look scared. Not even Clark could do that.

Cisco raised his hands in surrender. "Relax, Lois, he's a friend." Kara explained quickly trying to calm her.

Lois looked suspicious at Cisco, who gave her a sly, apologetic smile for scaring her and decided that the man didn't look threatening at all. She sighed and her shoulders relaxed. Cisco waved awkwardly at the woman and looked at Kara from the corner of his eyes.

"Sorry for scaring you, it wasn't my intention. I'm Cisco, by the way."

"Lois Lane."

"So, Kara what do you need my help with?"

Kara jumped right to the point. "Lois doesn't know where my cousin is. Only that he left with Rip Hunter on a very secret and important mission about the Multiverse being threatened. So, I was hoping you could-"

"Vibe his location." Cisco finished for her.

The Kryptonian nodded. Lois looked between them, not knowing what they were talking about.

"What is a vibe?" she asked.

Both Cisco and Kara sighed. "It's complicated, but basically I can see past, present or future things about people. All I need is something personal to them."

"What about Kal's glasses? Did he leave them here?" Kara asked.

Lois shook her head weirded out by the information. "Yes. I have them in the bedroom."

"They should do the trick." Cisco agreed.

Not knowing what else to say, Lois decided to go with the flow. Kara said that he was her friend and she clearly trusted him after all. "I'll get them." She mumbled and disappeared in the bedroom. She appeared two seconds later holding Clark's fake glasses. Unsure, she handed them over to Cisco and the man took them eagerly from her.

The moment Cisco touched Clark's glasses the familiar sensation of a vibe beginning surrounded the young hero. Cisco felt his stomach twist and a shiver ran down his spine. Vibe had never said how vibing felt like. It wasn't a topic that he was comfortable talking about nor was the feeling before and after it happened. He had got used to it by now though – and better at it – so it didn't bother him as much as when the visions first started.

 _The vision of the vibe was dark and somewhat hazy. They always were. He was standing in a strange room, one he had never been to and was definitely not Earthly. Something felt off about this place, but Cisco could not put a finger on what. For a moment Cisco wondered if Kal-El was on Krypton, but then remembered that the planet had exploded. Then again their two Earths had merged, it's possible that the Krypton on their universe was still alive. Vibe didn't want to waste any more time thinking about alternative cases and not knowing for how long he could maintain the vibe. So he took a look around the strange room. He could see a man with dark hair and a suit similar to the one Kara wears floating unconscious in the middle of the room. Cisco guessed that this was Kara's cousin they were looking for. He stepped closer to the man. Superman appeared to be sleeping unaware of his surroundings. In his right hand, he was holding a spear. It looked old. Cisco had never seen it before, but he could guess that it held some kind of power. There was no other explanation as to why a super-powered Kryptonian would hold such an artifact._

" _How long are we hiding the spear of Destiny here?" Cisco heard someone speak._

 _He diverted his gaze from the Kryptonian and looked through what seemed like a secure door. But it was more than that. The door created some kind of force field. There were two men on the other side. One of them was definitely human. He had short brown hair and he was wearing a long detective trench coat. Although Cisco had never met the man, he was sure that he looked very familiar to the description of Rip Hunter, Ray Palmer had given him. The other one was some sort of alien with humanoid body. His skin was red and so were his eyes. He was wearing a weird black suit with gold wristbands and a dark red cape. Neither seemed to notice that Cisco was there watching and listening to them._

" _Until the heroes of your Earth put an end the war between Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor." The alien answered. " You know how important it is to hide the spear from both of them. Kal-El's universe was in the brink of destruction before I got to you and merged the worlds. If it had been destroyed the Multiverse would be imbalanced and would have caused a chain reaction that would lead to the destruction of the whole Multiverse. This is why this mission is so important. If one of them get's their hands on the spear the world will be destroyed. So, as long as Kal-El keeps the spear of Destiny hidden here the Multiverse is safe. Don't worry about Superman Rip Hunter, he will be fine, he can handle the spear's power. That's why I asked for both your help. And the heroes of both worlds will be able to defeat Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor. It's clear to me now that the heroes needed to come together for this war to end, because separate we would have a repeat of the destruction of Earth-38."_

Cisco felt the vibe fading and soon he was standing in Lois Lane's apartment with her and Kara watching him closely, both anxious and hopeful to know about Superman's whereabouts.

"Did you see him? Do you know where he is?" Kara was the one to ask.

Cisco rubbed his eyes and groaned. Vibing was always difficult and it left him with a slight headache _._

"I saw him. He was sleeping and no, I don't know where he is, but he's definitely not on Earth." The two women exchanged a worried look. "He wasn't alone though and I don't think that he is in danger."

Kara frowned. "What do you mean?"

Cisco sighed. "Come on, let's go to STAR labs. I have a lot to inform the team. I think I know what happened to our Earths."


	13. Cadmus returns

Chapter 13

"Rip left the Legends about a month ago, but he didn't say where he was going?" Sara Lance was telling the group of people gathered at STAR labs - including Lois Lane. After the three of them came back from Metropolis, Cisco had everyone sit down and described his vibe. Needless to say that the vision raised more questions than gave answers. "He said that he didn't have anything left to teach the team. He definitely didn't mention anything about a secret world-saving mission. Wait... " she paused, her face forming a thinking frown. "Now that I'm thinking about it he did say that he was going on a trip, but I brushed it off like a joke."

"Still, how do we know that this is our Rip and not the one from Earth-38?" Jax asked.

Professor Stein took it upon himself to answer his partner's question. "When Earth-1 and Earth-38 combined into one, the people that originally existed on both Earths joined as one, but like the Darwin has stated only the strongest of the two survived."

"You mean like what happens when we become Firestorm?"

"We-well...something like that." Stein confirmed although it wasn't exactly the same. The professor knew that not everyone had the same intellect for these things like he did.

"No matter what, the Rip we know, the one who got us together and gave us a mission to save the timeline, is one of the strongest people I know." Sara spoke again. She wasn't great at understanding what Stein was talking about most of the time, but she knew Rip Hunter. Sara put her hands on her hips and faced Kara and Lois. "Look, if your cousin is with Rip, then he is safe. He wouldn't put anyone in unnecessary danger."

"How can you be so sure?" Kara asked the former member of the League of assassins. She had a point, Kara had never met Rip.

The former sighed soundlessly while her gaze never left the other woman. "Before Rip found me and made me a part of this team, I was a lost soul. I had just been back from the dead and nothing felt right anymore. I was left with this...consuming _bloodlust_. Thea can vouch for that."

"Wait. You said you were back from the dead?" Alex stopped her not only confused but also in denial to believe that what she heard was true.

"Yes, I was dead." Sara nodded her head. "My sister brought me back to life, but it had some unfortunate side effects. I had this need to take. I couldn't control myself and that made me dangerous around people. I was a monster." Sara bit her lip remembering these early days of being alive. She had hated herself when she was like that. "But Rip found me and gave me a purpose and a team. It wasn't easy at first. I almost killed some of my teammates on the Waverider. But we had something in common. We were all outcasts. And in time we helped each other be better. So when I'm telling you that your cousin is ok with Rip, I mean it and I know it."

Kara felt shaken after Sara's flashback story. She didn't know what it felt like to be dead and then alive again, but she knew she wouldn't want to have the desire to kill and not be able to control it. Kara didn't say anything to the White Canary but nodded her head in her direction. In the Kryptonian's crystal blue eyes was hinted an _I-believe-you_ message towards her.

"Ok." Oliver clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Now that we know where Kara's cousin is, what are we going to do?"

"Cisco, can you open a breach there?" Barry jumped into action after the archer's words.

Cisco looked unsure at his friend. "I'm not sure. In the vibe, I could feel there was something off about the place, but I couldn't put my finger on what. I can try though."

Barry nodded and clapped Cisco's arm. "Just give it a try. But if you can't open the breach or you feel like there's something strange, stop. We have no idea where he is. It could be a trap – which I really hope not- or simply something we are not prepared for."

"Barry's right." Stein agreed. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet."

Oliver gave a sharp nod, while the rest of them stayed silent. They weren't exactly experts in multiple dimensions. It was an area that they had never encountered. As for Lois Lane, she wanted Clark to be safe, but she also needed to trust him that he would be and that after they had dealt with whatever they were up against he would come back to her. He had never let her down in the past. Lois just needed to believe that he wouldn't start now.

"Are you coming with, Caitlin?" Cisco asked his best friend. Now that he was about to throw a fishing line into uncharted waters, Vibe felt safer having a familiar person nearby.

"Sure." Caitlin smiled with her sweet voice.

Cisco turned to the group. "Ok, I'm going to see if I am able to open a breach and I'll come back to inform you how it goes." Then he turned his attention to Dinah, who was still recovering but had insisted to be included in the discussion. "After we're done with that, we're going to test your powers and Caitlin will do some medical tests on you." He warned her.

Dinah groaned hearing his words. Caitlin offered the woman an apologetic smile. Not that it would make it any better, but doing these tests was absolutely necessary. Caitlin grabbed Cisco's arm and walked away from the room, leaving the rest of the people to continue the conversation. Before they turned in the corner they both heard footsteps coming closer.

"Hey, can I come too?" Winn ran up to the two.

Cisco gave Winn an unsure look, but Caitlin was more welcoming. "Of course."

Winn eagerly followed the pair grinning from ear to ear. It was all too exciting for him. Like one of those adventures he saw in the movies but thought he would never live himself. The three of them walked through the hallways of STAR labs. Winn was pretty sure he was lost, even though he had come from this way when Cisco brought them here from the D.E.O. He remembered the breach room when they arrived. The big, dark room with the consoles and the pedestal in the middle of the back. Winn wasn't sure why there were any computers in this room, but he guessed that there must be an importance in having them here. From what he gathered Cisco –foremost- , Barry and Caitlin were the closest thing to experts for everything regarding the Multiverse.

Cisco walked down the stairs and to the pedestal, but didn't climb on it. Caitlin stood behind a computer on the left side of the room and waited for Cisco to do something. Winn, on the other hand, wasn't sure what to do, so he walked to Caitlin fidgeting with anxiety and enthusiasm for what was about to happen.

"I'm going to try to open the breach by myself. If it doesn't work we'll use Harry's device when Barry got stuck in the speedforce the first time." Cisco informed Caitlin putting on is goggles.

Caitlin bit her lip watching her friend worried. "Are you sure Cisco? It's dangerous."

Cisco didn't turn to look at her. "We have to try, Caitlin."

Silently, the young woman nodded her head. She kept her eyes on Cisco, while he put his right hand in front of him, the other one holding Clark's glasses to help him focus on where Superman was. Winn and Caitlin both held their breaths waiting for a blue ring to push out of Vibe's hand and create a cut in the fabric of the universe. Cisco felt a tingling sensation on his fingers. He concentrated on the feeling he got when he was vibing Superman and reached out to him. The tingling lasted for a few seconds and then disappeared. Nothing else happened. Cisco sighed and took off his goggles, turning to Caitlin.

"I got nothing."

"Maybe you should try again?" she suggested.

Cisco shook his head. "No, I felt nothing. Just a little spark on my hand, but that disappeared too."

"Maybe we should try that thing you mentioned earlier?" Winn suggested shyly.

Cisco sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to. Who knows, my brain might melt one of these days." He complained, but still, he walked to where they had stored Harry's invention and brought it out. "Caitlin, do you remember to set the parameters?" he asked while adjusting the wires on his brain.

"I do." Caitlin answered not liking the idea, but she still pressed some buttons on the screen preparing to charge the wires directing into Cisco's brain.

Winn looked over Caitlin's shoulder watching her work. He found interesting the parameters she was adjusting, though he didn't know what they were for, or how that thing on Cisco's head would help him open a breach to wherever Kara's cousin was. Winn thought about the speedforce. Cisco had mentioned that they had done this thing before to get Barry out of it. Not that he knew what that was either. Winn had many questions. The most qualified in this case was what did these wires do?

"How can this help open a breach?" he asked the doctor.

Caitlin glanced at Winn, before pressing a few more things. Her part was done. Now Cisco just had to say that he was ready and Caitlin would press the start button to begin the process. Caitlin didn't know how to explain it to him. She thought of what Harry had said when they first tried it.

"It's a feedback loop. Cisco's brain basically sends the information of where Kara's cousin is and then we open a breach using electrical stimulation from Cisco's Prefrontal cortex." she explained.

"Oh, ok." Winn whispered.

Caitlin knew that it was dangerous. Cisco would have suffered brain damage if they hadn't disconnected the process in time.

"I'm ready." Cisco called.

Caitlin frowned not wanting anything to go wrong. She felt tightness in her chest from her own anxiousness. But regardless of how frightened she was, she licked her lips and pressed the start button. But again, just like before, nothing happened.

"I don't understand. I did everything right. You should be able to open a breach." She groaned, not understanding what had gone wrong.

"You should check again. Maybe you missed something." Winn suggested.

"I don't think that's the problem." Cisco said. He took off the wires and walked to them. "Remember when I said that there was something off about my vibe?" they both nodded. "Well, I can't feel any frequency."

Caitlin frowned. "What does that mean?" Winn asked.

Cisco sighed. "To be able to open a portal to another dimension, I need to feel the vibrational frequency of the place and connect to it. I knew that I was missing something in the vibe, but I think now that I just couldn't feel the vibrational frequency. I don't think that wherever Kal-El is has a frequency."

"So, you mean you can't open a breach?" Caitlin asked for confirmation.

Cisco shook negatively his head. "No, I can't."

The three of them exchanged looks. That wasn't good.

#

"What I don't understand is how they managed to use the spear of destiny." Sara's words echoed in the cortex of STAR labs. "I depowered the spear so that the Legion of Doom wouldn't be able to use it."

"What's the Legion of Doom?" Kara asked the question for all the people in the room except the Legends themselves.

"A very dangerous team of super villains. Thawne requited past versions of Damien Dark, Malcolm Merlin and Leonard Snart to help him find the spear and shape reality to fit their desires." Nate explained.

"We'd been trying to stop them the whole year." Jax continued. "But no matter what we did, in the end, they managed to obtain the spear and created their own reality."

"So, why aren't we all dead right now?" Oliver asked.

"Because we decided to go back in time and destroy the spear before it got to their hands. Anyway, things happened and we reached a point where if we didn't use the spear we would all die." Ray explained in return. "So Sara used it to depower it. And after that, it was useless to them. In the end, Thawne died by a zombie speedster-"

"Zolomon." Barry realized.

The Legends exchanged looks between them. They didn't know any zombified speedster from their research to find Thawne. Hunter Zolomon, whom Barry just spoke of, was Zoom. And Zoom was dead after Barry left him for the Time Wraiths to do what they pleased with him. But, apparently, the scarlet speedster knew something they didn't.

"A few months back I went into the speedforce to bring Wally back. But the speedforce was angry at me for creating flashpoint, so it brought me challenges in order to let me find Wally. One of those was him. I could recognize him anywhere. I saw what the Time Wraiths did to Zolomon before they dragged him into the speedforce. It is some kind of punishment for breaking and abusing its rules." Barry spoke remembering how awful Hunter Zolomon had looked in the speadforce. A rotten corpse without its own mind. Forever slave to the speedforce. "That's beside the point, though. You were saying, Ray?"

"Oh, right." Ray shook in place. "As I was saying Thawne died and we returned Merlin, Snart and Damien Dark to their proper timelines and erased their memories."

"The thing is" Sara spoke again. "That the spear is useless. I don't know how that alien got it to work."

"The spear from _our_ world is useless." Barry spoke after a while. "What about the spear from Earth-38? It could exist there too and if it did, it's possible to still have the power to rewrite reality."

"That's why that alien needed both Rip and your cousin, Kara." Amaya realized. "Rip was the only one who could find it and Superman had the strength to wield it."

"That's exactly right, Amaya." Professor Stein spoke with excitement. "It makes perfect sense. The question is, what do we do with this knowledge?"

"I don't think worrying about it is our priority."

It was Oliver Queen who spoke this time. As always his voice was blunt and stoic. His face held a serious expression and his blue eyes were focused. Barry had seen that look many times on the archer's face. The speedster knew that Oliver had thought very well of the situation and his worlds were well based. After all, it was Oliver who taught him that he needed to case every aspect of a problem before trying to solve it. Ok, maybe Oliver was talking about the environment of a room when the two of them had this conversation, but Barry could easily adapt his friend's words to this situation.

"Didn't you hear what Cisco said about his vision? Whoever this alien is, he did this to bring us together to fight a war that is coming. That's what we need to prepare for."

"But how do we know that we can trust him? We are blind in this. All we really have is a few overheard words about this war that is supposed to destroy the whole Universe." Alex asked in disbelieve.

Oliver's cold blue eyes stared at the secret agent in depth. He of all people understood were that discomfort in putting her faith in something uncertain felt like. He was like that for the most part of his vigilante carrier.

"You can't." he told her simply. "You have to trust the people who you already trust. Kara's cousin and Rip Hunter have already shown that they trust this person. Now, I'm assuming that all of you trust Superman, just as the Legends trust Rip Hunter." Kara, Alex and J'onn all nodded their heads in agreement. "So, all we have to do is trust them and continue with the plan they have set in motion. I have to be honest, I want to know more about this. But this is unknown territory and we have to do with whatever we are given. So, I suggest we form this group and train as one. We have to be one if we want to win this. We have to know each other's strengths and weaknesses and we can't trust anyone but the people in this room."

J'onn unfastened his arms and nodded. "Mister Queen, I absolutely agree with you. The government won't help us. When they see that we have formed such a big group they will try to stop us, separate us, shut us down."

"Which I why we need to have a leader. Someone who can take the decisions of how to approach every situation. Someone who can find a better way. Who inspires hope. And it has to be someone the people trust. We won't win the government, but we can have the people on our side."

"It also has to be someone we all trust as well." Ray pointed out.

Murmurs of yes overflowed the cortex. But besides that, no one made a move to volunteer anyone or take responsibility.

"It can't be me." Oliver finally spoke up. "Or anyone on my team. I have much darkness inside of me and people mostly fear me."

"And nobody knows us." Sara said in return.

Between them, they all knew who they wanted to guide them. He was, after all, someone they all had worked with and yes, he had his flaws, but he had the power to restore hope where it was lost. He was the impossible after all. Oliver didn't want to say it, so he just turned and looked at Barry waiting for the man to catch up. Dinah Drake, Felicity, Rene and Curtis knew as well what Oliver was suggesting. Rene and Dinah would have argued if it wasn't for the speedster proving himself earlier today. Rene, of course, had respect for the Flash after he and Kara had saved him from the crazy humanoid doctor, in their effort to find where the Dominators had kidnapped Green Arrow and company. But the Black Canary gained it when he found a different way to save them all and save Supergirl in the process. As for the Legends, they felt like they knew him more that they did either member from team Supergirl.

With all heads looking at Barry's direction, the speedster couldn't ignore what was happening.

"Me?" he pointed to himself in disbelief. "I'm not team leader, you all saw what happened last time with the Dominators. I didn't lead the war, you did Ollie."

"Barry leading a team and leading a war is not the same thing. I can be field general, but I can't make decisions for the team."

"Oliver's right." Curtis agreed. "People trust you. People believe in you. More than they believe in all of us combined."

"People have faith in Supergirl too." Alex entered the conversation, not liking her sister to not have the acknowledgment she deserved.

"That's great." Oliver commented. "Then, Barry and Kara can work together. They will need the help from each other. But, Barry has more experience than Kara. That's why I'm suggesting it's him. You two can confine. Make the decisions together."

"Guys, that's crazy." Barry raised his hands freaking out. "I'm not team leader."

"Yes you are!" came from multiple people in the room.

"Barry you know when you are in a situation that is over your head. You know when to ask for help. Hell, you are the one who always brings us together when the fight requires it." Oliver began with his reasoning. "You inspire people." before he could continue Ray spoke.

"When you called us to fight the Dominators and you told us about the message your future self sent we turned our backs at you, we didn't trust you. It was a mistake. We won't make it again. Like I told you then, we are with _you_ , no matter what." The rest of them just nodded their heads agreeing with Ray.

The scarlet speedster by then had a face as scarlet as his nickname. He folded his arms in front of his chest and lowered his head shyly. In truth, Barry wanted the floor to open and swallow him whole.

"This is all very touching, but I don't think I can do it." He said honestly. "Maybe it's best if it was just Kara..." he left his words die in the air.

Kara pressed her lips together looking at her fast friend. She didn't agree with Barry. She thought that he was more than capable to make the best decisions for this new team. Kara thought of the first time she met the speedster.

"You asked me if I still trusted you." She told him with strong voice. Barry looked up at her and frowned. "When you told everyone about flashpoint, you asked me if I still trusted you. I said " _I'll always trust you._ " That hasn't changed." Her blue eyes pierced through Barry freezing the speedster from speaking before she had finished what she wanted to say. "When you came to our Earth the first time, I was in a very bad place. I told you about what the red Kryptonite had done to me. I was in such a hurry to make people like me again, that I made things worse, even though you warned me that we should make a plan. And after that, when I was responsible for losing the battle, you came to me when no one else wanted to comfort me and instead of being mad at me, you asked me if I was ok and gave me advice. I'll never forget that advice you gave me that day. I had no one and you stood by my side, even though you barely knew me." She tried to make him understand. "That's why I will always stand by your side. I believe in you like so many others do. And you don't have to do this alone, I can help you."

"See? You have everyone's vote." Oliver patted Barry's back making the speedster groan.

It was just then that Cisco, Caitlin and Winn rushed in the cortex out of breath. "Oh, great, you are all here."

"What happened? Were you able to open the breach?" Barry asked quickly before anyone else could.

"No, I couldn't." Cisco shook his head breathing heavily still. "But I have some other news, that I don't know if they're bad yet."

"What is it?" J'onn asked this time, full on agent mode.

Cisco sat in his chair first before he continued. "Firstly, wherever your cousin is Kara there is no vibrational frequency. That's why I can't open the breach. I can't reach him if I don't know where I'm going."

Kara nodded her head feeling disappointed, but understanding where Cisco was coming from. Beside's they had agreed to trust Kal-El and Rip Hunter to know what they are doing. In that case, Kara needed to worry about what future threats they were going to face.

"That's ok, Cisco. Thank you for trying." She smiled at him.

Cisco returned her smile and continued. "So after we discovered that, we tested something else."

"What did you tested?" Rene asked.

"Our frequencies." The engineer answered. "Before our two Earths joined, we –as in the residents of Earth-1 – had an A frequency and you" he pointed at Kara, Alex, J'onn and Winn. "Had a frequency B. Now though, we all have the same frequency C."

"As a result for the worlds combining." Stein concluded.

"Yes." Cisco confirmed.

"That makes perfect sense." The professor said. "Just like the-"

"Before you continue Professor Stein. We have a bigger problem." Layla Diggle entered the cortex.

"Layla!" Felicity greeted the woman. "What are you doing here?"

Layla sighed and produced a USB from her purse. "ARGUS had a break in last night. Mark Mardon and Shawna Baez breached the facility where we keep Grodd, King Shark and Black Siren and broke them out."

"I've been trying to truck down Mardon and Shawna for days now, but I couldn't find them anywhere." Barry told Layla.

"Why would Mardon and Shawna be interested in these three metahumans?" Oliver asked.

"We believe that they were recruited by a dangerous organization that goes by the name Cadmus." Layla answered.

"That's impossible. We defeated Cadmus." Kara told her.

The head of ARGUS nodded. "That is true Supergirl, but bad people have a way of getting back on their feet. We believe that Cadmus was also behind Roy Bivolo targeting you."

Oliver nodded. "It makes sense. Bivolo didn't have any reason to attack Kara."

"But I don't understand why Shawna agreed to do this. After she escaped from us she left to have a normal life." Barry argued.

"We believe that they are forced to comply." Layla folded her arms in front of her chest. "ARGUS had another breach. A cyber security breach. Whoever broke into our systems took files from taskforce x."

"Oh, my God." Cisco exclaimed. "What are they forming? Suicide Squad 2.0?"


	14. Suicide Squad, the sequel

Chapter 14

"Ok, do you want to elaborate us, who don't know, what Taskforce X is?" J'onn was the one to ask the question for those who weren't familiar with Amanda Waller's work, including the people of Earth-38 and half of team arrow.

Lyla sighed feeling uncomfortable explaining yet again the horrors the former head of A.R.G.U.S. had done. Amanda Waller was too paranoid for her own good and that paranoia had cost her her life. Amanda wanted to protect the world, but her intentions didn't justify the measures she took or the lives she was willing to sacrifice for the greater good. In other words, she wanted to be a hero but ended up becoming the villain in her own story. Lyla had struggled not a long time ago from becoming an Amanda Waller herself. Sitting on the big chair was more tempting to corruption than she had imagined. Decisions her former boss had taken made more sense now. Thankfully, Lyla had her husband to remind her of who she really was, to bring her back to the right path. Lyla knew that she had to tell the whole truth to them, no matter how hard it was for her.

"Taskforce X, or Suicide Squad as it is more commonly known, used to be a project the former director of A.R.G.U.S. had formed. Amanda Waller wanted to create her own little army to do her dirty work. She had gathered criminals with special skills, that she thought would be wasted if they just went to prison. So she implanted micro bombs in the base of their neck in order to keep them in line and to make them do whatever she wanted. If the operation went south, the taskforce was to be terminated and if something went wrong it was easy to blame the criminals."

"What kind of monster would do that to someone? Even if they were criminals?" Kara asked frustrated by what she heard.

Lyla nodded in agreement. "Amanda Waller was a monster. But she is no longer director of A.R.G.U.S. After she was killed I took her place and shut down all her non-human projects." She sighed again. "I've been trying to clean up the organization ever since and honestly I don't know when it'll end."

"Lyla is not like Amanda. I can vouch for her." Oliver told the director of the D.E.O. "Me and my team have worked many times with them."

"We have too." Barry added.

With the vote of confidence from team Arrow and Flash, J'onn felt pleased. He still didn't want a black ops government organization working directly with them, but he will have to have this discussion later with the whole team when Lyla has left the labs.

"Ok, then. Please continue." He encouraged her.

"We tried to trace back Cadmus' signal and enter their systems, but their firewalls are very good."

"They haven't met me." Felicity mumbled.

Oliver standing by her side was the only one who heard her comment. A ghost smile appeared on the archers face. His focus, though, never left Lyla as she continued her speech.

"We were able to obtain one thing. It is a pre-recorded video message. They haven't released it yet, but I have a feeling that they are going to do it in the very near future."

"What does that message say?" Sara asked.

Lyla exhaled before turning to the screen next to her. She plugged her USB in one of the ports and let the video play. Kara, Alex, J'onn and Winn recognized the Cadmus logo the moment it popped on the screen.

" _Citizens of Earth."_ a disoriented voice spoke. _"The days of superheroes has come to an end. These masked terrorists are no Gods and we shouldn't treat them like they are. We will no longer allow these individuals to take the law into their own hands and apply it as they see fit. The police force of U.S. has failed to restrain these vigilantes, but we are here to put order to the world. To make it like it is supposed to be. Earth belongs to Humans, not aliens and metahuman freaks. Humanity will rise again and Earth will be ours. To all the so-called superheroes, beware. We are Cadmus and your days ARE numbered."_

"Their way of protecting Earth is very twisted." Rene remarked after the video message finished.

"You don't say." Kara uttered.

"So let me get this straight." Felicity spoke up. "This Cadmus decided to create Suicide Squad, the sequel to destroy all of us. I mean those who fight for justice and want to save people."

"You are right, Felicity." Lyla assured her.

Felicity's eyes opened wide and she made a weird expression with her face. In the end, she settled in a classic frown. "I agree with Rene. Their logic is definitely twisted." She whined.

Just then the satellite alarm went off. Cisco and Felicity were immediately checking the computers to see what the situation was. They both froze when they saw what the satellite had picked up.

"Why can't the bad guys just let us for once, just once, prepare before they attack?" Cisco groaned.

"Guys, what is it?" Oliver urged them.

"It's them. I mean Cadmus. I mean-"

Cisco cut Felicity off before the girl stumbled on her tongue and explained. "Black Siren, Weather Wizard, Kind Shark, Grodd, Shawna and some other lady I haven't seen before." He said and uploaded the satellite image to the screens on the walls of the cortex.

"That's Livewire." Kara said recognizing the white-haired woman immediately. "Cadmus much have gotten to her too."

"Where are they?" Barry asked.

"Coast City. "Felicity answered. "After you went to National City, Cisco and I thought that it would be better to reprogram the STAR labs satellite to not only report crime on Central City, but the whole U.S."

"Smart thinking." J'onn complimented. "Now how do we stop them?"

All heads turned to Barry. "What do you propose team leader?" Oliver asked the speedster.

Barry groaned out loud. He really hated it when Oliver made him team leader. Nevertheless, he was in that position now, so Barry had to think fast. And being the fastest man alive made fast as normal as opening a bag of chips.

"Ok, first things first, we need to take down Cadmus once and for all, before they try something worse than that. Winn, you have dealt with this before right?" the man nodded quickly his head. "So you are familiar with Cadmus' tricks?" he asked hopefully.

"I am, but it's nearly impossible to track them. Their signal comes for many different-"

"Felicity, work with him to find them. If the two of you aren't able to do it, no one can." Barry cut him off. They had very little time to spare in details.

"What about me?" Cisco complained.

The speedster looked at his friend. "I need you to be our eyes and ears. Hack into the surveillance and help when we go out."

Cisco nodded. "Got it." He said and his fingers immediately started dancing on the keyboard.

"What about the rest of us?" Sara asked this time.

Barry exhaled loudly. His brain was working at high speeds, trying to think of every advantage the villains had and how to counteract them. He grabbed the rail tightly and groaned. Finally, he looked up to his teammates.

"We have to split into two teams. Some have to stay behind and as soon as Felicity and Winn find Cadmus' headquarters go and shut them down. Ray for example."

"Why do I have to stay behind?" Ray complained.

"Livewire." Barry explained.

"He's right." Kara spoke. "She is living electricity. The moment you step into battle, she will steal the power of your suit and it will be useless."

"Point taken." The Atom raised his hands.

"Or worse. She could take control of the suit and turn it against us." Alex had an excellent point, Barry and Ray admitted.

"What do we need to know about the other metahumans?" J'onn asked.

Barry sighed again and started explaining as fast as he could. He would leave, though, the assignment of the teams to Oliver.

#

The skies of Coast City darkened out of nowhere and strong wind rose like a wild animal. Weather Wizard was in a good mood and at the top of his game. Mardon smiled sardonically at the thought of how many people he would be terrorizing today. Shawna had scowled at him that he shouldn't take so much pleasure in inflicting fear in others. But Mardon didn't pay much attention to her. It was like her words were spoken to a rock. Mardon knew that unlike him, Shawna didn't actually want to be doing this. The woman was a thief –she did everything in order to survive – but Mardon found a thrilling joy in causing chaos.

Two skyscrapers away, Supergirl eyed King Shark using her x-ray vision to see through the walls. Kara had fought many terrifying aliens the past two years of being Supergirl. But not even Parasite was as frightening as King Shark. Barry had told them how he was able to defeat the beast. But now Kara was wondering how the speedster was able to do such thing. On the other side, Kara could see the lightning of Kid Flash, as he cleared the area of civilians. Barry didn't want any citizens to be caught in the crossfire and Kara agreed with the speedster that they had to expect the fight to not be easy. Wally was not in the slightest pleased that he was on cleaning duty again. Or well...the cleaning before the actual cleaning. Supergirl waited for Kid Flash to finish, before making her move. The two of them were going to work together, after all, to defeat King Shark.

#

"Is everyone in position?" J'onn J'onzz heard the Flash's voice in his ear.

A number of positive answers came after that and Flash asked if they remember the plan. J'onn was ready to engage with Grodd at any moment. His telepathic abilities gave him an advantage no one else in the new team had. Barry had insisted for J'onn to be cautious and warned him that the ape was very powerful and strong. J'onn had appreciated the man's warning and told him that he would keep it in mind, but also that his own telepathy was more than a little powerful. Grodd better watch out, he was about to face his greatest challenge yet.

" _MARTIAN._ " A growling voice echoed in J'onn's mind. " _GRODD. SENSE. YOU._ "

 _This is it,_ he thought. _The show has begun._ " _Surrender and we won't hurt you._ " J'onn pushed his thoughts to the giant gorilla.

" _YOU. NOT. HURT. ME. BUT. GRODD. HURT. YOU._ " The voice answered back.

" _We will see about that._ " J'onn responded.

" _I. MAKE. YOUR. FRIENDS. HURT. YOU._ "

It was just as Barry had told them. Grodd's first move was to take control of other people's minds and make them do his bidding. Good thing J'onn had prepared for that. Grodd narrowed his eyes as he tried to enter the minds of Supergirl, Amaya, Nate, Black Canary and Firestorm. The gorilla was surprised to find out that he couldn't. Grodd didn't try to enter the minds of the Flash and Kid Flash. He knew he couldn't enter them, only project thoughts to them. Their minds were moving too fast for the super ape.

"WHY. CAN. I. NOT?" he growled angrily at the Martian.

J'onn's green face formed a smug expression at the gorilla's frustration. " _I am guarding their minds from you. The only telepathy that is going to happen is between you and me._ "

Grodd roared. The sound of his growl resonated throughout the whole city. The Earth quacked and the buildings trembled.

" _THEN. GRODD. CRUSH. YOUR. SCULL._ "

And that was the last thing Grodd said before he launched at J'onn, who took a fighting pose and waited for his attack.

#

"I have eyes on Shawna." Flash spoke to his teammates.

"You are in the clear, Barry. Everyone else is in position." Cisco informed him from STAR labs.

The Flash held tightly on the blindfold in his right hand. He prayed that the plan would work. He had chosen to go up against Shawna, while the rest battled the other metahumans. Out of everyone in the brand new Cadmus' Suicide Squad, the scarlet speedster knew that Shawna was the only one who would talk. Barry decided to make his move before he lost any more precious time. Yellow lightning sparkled in the Flash's eyes and in a blur of red and a gust of wind, he ran to Shawna, blindfolded her -so that she wouldn't escape- and ran her in an abandoned building two blocks away from the fight.

Shawna found herself separated from her teammates before she could realize what was happening. She didn't expect the Flash to be here, it was far away from his home. Or maybe a part of her did expect him to show up, but she was sure that the speedster would stop to make a snarky remark before he took her on. The fact that she couldn't see meant that the Flash had step up his game.

"Hello, Flash-boy." Shawna didn't even make an attempt to remove the blindfold. She knew she couldn't outrun the Flash.

"Why are you doing this Shawna? I know you wanted to have a normal life after your boyfriend left you to pay for his mess." The Flash demanded in with a soft voice. Shawna tried not to laugh. The speedster didn't have an interrogating bone in his body.

"You don't understand." Shawna shook her head. "I have no choice."

"Whatever bomb they have planted in the back of your head, I can phase it out. I can save you." The Flash told her, his hopeful voice was clear in Shawna's ears.

The woman chuckled, but it was a bitter laugh. "You may be able to save me from a bomb, but you can't save me from a virus. We either kill you, or we all die instantly." Her voice shook with tremor.

Barry felt himself freeze from the shock of the information. _A virus? They had injected them with a virus?_ The Flash brought his hand on his ear and pressed the com.

"Guys?"

"We heard, Barry." Cisco told him. "In that case you can't defeat them. If they lose, Cadmus will activate the virus."

"Can't you block the signal?" the speedster asked, starting to feel panic rise in his throat.

"I can't." Cisco admitted defeated.

"And we haven't found the location yet. But we are close." Felicity spoke from next to Cisco.

"What if the signal couldn't reach the receiver?" Cisco suddenly thought out loud.

"How are you going to do that?" Winn asked.

"By changing the frequencies of the transmitter and the receivers."

"Like we did with Trickster's bombs." Barry realized. "We can bring them to Earth-2 and make a cure. Harry has power-dampener cells."

"What's a trickster?" Winn asked again.

Caitlin leaned over the desk, looking at the footage from Cisco's computer. "Story for another time." She told him. "Barry won't be able to take them all to Earth-2 in time."

"Then what are we going to do?" the Flash asked, desperation in his voice.

Caitlin bit her lip. She didn't want to say what was on her mind. Flashes of her being Killer Frost invaded her mind. She didn't want to go down that road again. Seeing Cisco looking at her with hopeful eyes, the doctor sucked in a deep breath.

"If the hosts are cold enough the virus will be inert, even if Cadmus activates it."

"Why do I have the feeling that there is a catch?" Cisco eyed her.

Caitlin bit her lip again. "If the stream is too cold, the hosts will die."

"So, Supergirl can't turn them all into icicles." Cisco groaned. "And she won't have the time to freeze all of them before Cadmus realizes what we're doing and activates the virus."

"Caitlin, you have to come." Flash realized.

"No, I can't. I can't become Killer Frost again." Caitlin shook in fear.

"We won't let that happen again." Flash tried to reassure her. "You have won her so many times. And you have all of us by your side. We won't let Killer Frost take control of you."

Caitlin felt tears in her eyes. She thought of all the terrible things she did when she was Killer Frost. She tried to kill her best friends more than once, she tried to kill Tracy Brand. She sided with Savitar. Cisco touched her hand softly. Caitlin looked at her best friend in despair.

"Caitlin..."

#

Kid Flash was running in circles around the water. He had practiced throwing lighting many times with Barry. His brother had insisted that Wally perfected the technique, though Kid Flash still needed more practice in aiming. With Supergirl relying on him, though, to electrocute King Shark when she throws him in the sea, Wally pressured himself to not let her down. Besides, the metahuman from Earth-2 was a big target, how could he miss him.

Supergirl had to admit that King Shark was one tough piece of fish. He could throw a punch as good as he received and his skin was almost as indestructible as hers. Kara maneuvered under him when King Shark tried to grab her. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Supergirl grabbed King Shark's extended arm and prepared to throw him into the water, where Kid Flash was going to fry him.

"Guys, change of plans." Flash's voice came through the speakers of everybody's ear. "We can't take them down. We have to freeze them."

"Why?" Kid Flash asked annoyed. He really wanted to do something else other than to run people away from danger.

"Just trust me. Supergirl, Caitlin is coming to help you. She will guide you through what to do. The rest of you just pretend to be fighting them. Cadmus needs to believe that the fight continues."

Supergirl blew out a desperate breath. She wanted this fight to end. She had been fighting with King Shark for a little more than thirty minutes and she felt like she had been hit by a train. Actually, if she had been hit by a train she wouldn't feel a thing. Supergirl considered calling in sick tomorrow at work. She felt she would need to sleep the whole day. Kara twisted King Shark's arm. The monster let out a roar of pain and waived his arm, successfully knocking Supergirl into the building behind her. Kara pushed her blonde hair away from her face and got to her feet. Her eyes glowed as she looked at King Shark with anger and launched at him.

The Flash was watching his friends battle the metahumans from the building he had taken Shawna. He hoped that Cisco vibes himself and Caitlin there soon so that no more damage could be caused. As a blue breach appeared in the middle of the crossroad and two familiar figures stepped out, Flash let out a deep breath.

"Come on. We are going to save you." He told Shawna before grabbing her and taking her to Caitlin.

At STAR labs Felicity let out a winning squeal and high-fived Winn who couldn't believe what they had just accomplished. "Guys, we found where Cadmus is."


	15. The last of Cadmus

Chapter 15

Black Siren smirked to herself as she heard footsteps closing in behind her. The person that was approaching her was very careful and light walker as if they were a cat. The Metahuman from Earth-2, though, was trained just as well in listening to her surroundings. Black Siren turned with confidence to confront the person. She chuckled evilly to herself as her eyes fell upon the newest imitation of Black Canary.

"Back for round two?" Laurel asked in a laughing manner.

Dinah tightened her grip on her stick. "This time I'm going to kick your ass."

Dinah knew that this person in front of her wasn't the previous Black Canary, the woman she was trying to honor by taking her mantle. It was difficult, though, to separate the two as Black Siren looked exactly the same as the Earth-1 Laurel Lance. From her previous encounter with Laurel's evil doppelganger, Dinah knew one thing. She couldn't hold back. If she did, Black Siren would use it to her advantage and Dinah wanted some payback for Lian Yu.

Black Siren chuckled darkly.

"You can dream all you want, honey." She said arrogantly. "But the truth is, you are just a poor imitation of my weak counterpart. You really think you can defeat me?"

"I think you're overestimating your abilities." Dinah shot back.

Black Siren's eyes darkened. She frowned and then, without any warning she attacked. Black Canary met her halfway and the two started exchanging blows.

On the other side of the road, Livewire was enjoying the battle between the two Sonic Metahumans. Her dark red lips were spread in a wide smile not really caring who of the women would win. Nate approached her with confidence, he hadn't even steeled on yet. Livewire thought he was crazy or just plain stupid to underestimate her. The only other person who was as confident as this man was Supergirl, even though the blonde Kryptonian was wearier when she confronted her nowadays. Leslie had taken on Supergirl's offer and disappeared not wanting to be caught and be put back in jail. It was the reason she hadn't cause any mayhem over the last few months. Supergirl had warned her that if she found her she would be coming for her and electrocuting people was a dead giveaway for her whereabouts. Unfortunately, fate wasn't on her side, because she found herself abducted and injected by Cadmus, to be used as a pawn. Livewire wanted to avoid jail, but she wanted to live more. That's why she gave Nate a pitiful smile.

"You know I have to kill you right?" her voice sounded as smug as the look on her face.

She didn't want to fight this arrogant superhero wannabe. If she was going to fight, she wanted to fight Supergirl. But looking ahead of her, she could see that the girl of steel had bigger fish to fry – literally.

"I'm not easy to kill." Nate assured her.

Leslie raised one eyebrow in amusement. "Suit yourself."

And then she threw an electrical current towards him. Nate activated his powers just in time. His body absorbed the electricity but didn't harm him. Seeing this, Livewire suddenly felt a jolt of excitement. Her smile widened on her pale face and she felt her powers travel on her skin, through her whole body.

"Now we're talking." She mumbled to herself.

A challenge. That's what she wanted most of all. And now she had one. She would enjoy breaking this man made of steel. Livewire laughed inside her head as she made a whip of electricity. She waved it sharply, but not in his direction. She wanted to play first. Nate and Livewire circled each other like preys waiting for the other to make the first move. Livewire was the more impatient of the two. She waved her whip wanting to wrap it around his throat. Nate, thankfully, ducked just in time to avoid it. And so, it was on.

#

"Are you sure this thing will work?" Amaya asked Jax, looking at the wand in her hand. According to Cisco, this device will steel Mardon's powers.

Jax eyed the shiny thing and shrugged his shoulders. "Cisco's things mostly work."

" _The wand works indeed."_ Professor Stein said inside Jax's head.

"Grey says it's cool to use."

Amaya licked her lips and gazed at the sky. Weather Wizard was floating in the sky with an evil grin plastered on his lips. Amaya had used the power of the hawk's eyes to be able to see the villain. It was a risk using the wand while he was up there. The man would fall to his death if they did that. As much as Amaya didn't care what happened to the Metahuman, the rules of engagement the team was instructed with were to simply restrain the new toys Cadmus had required.

"Cover me." She said to Jax.

Firestorm lit up his hands and head and nodded at her, letting Amaya know that he had her back. She then touched her totem and called upon the power of the hawk. The two of them took it to the sky, ready to face Mark Mardon.

The man in question watched as the two of them approached him and smirked to himself. They really thought they could take him on? Mardon raised his right hand to the sky and summoned a bolt of lightning, directing it towards the heroes. Firestorm covered Amaya throwing a fireball to counteract the lightning. Mardon frowned and threw another one. Both avoided it though. Jax looked at Amaya and gave her a pointed look. She flew downwards, while Firestorm started throwing fireball after fireball at Weather Wizard. Mardon waved his hands. A strong wall of wind formed in front of the villain blocking Firestorm's attempts to hurt him. Amaya slipped behind him and pushed him, causing Mardon to lose control for a moment. The next one he was on his feet unleashing a strong current of wind towards Amaya, that carried her away. Distracted as he was, Mardon took a fireball in his back. An agonizing scream tore out of his throat. The burning smell of his clothes was the only other thing the Metahuman could recognize other than the pain of his burned skin.

"Amaya, do it now!" Jax said hurriedly. "He's distracted. Use the wand."

Anaya regained her balance and flew towards the men again. Her palm, in which she held the device that stops Mardon from using his powers, had started to sweat. Amaya licked her lips. She couldn't afford to have doubts, not this specific time. But the woman wasn't even sure how the device worked. Did she have to press a button or something? She thought she had to, logically. But, Cisco had told her to only point the edge of the wand in Mardon's direction and towards the sky. Clearing her head, Amaya decided to just go through with it. Only a few feet away from him, she brought her hand up pointing the silver thing half expecting it to work and half for Mardon to laugh cruelly at her. Amaya felt a light current of power being sucked into the wand. It felt strange, but it also amazed her.

And then Weather Wizard was free falling. Jax turned to catch him, but he was stopped.

"I got him." He heard Amaya through the coms. "Your touch will burn him more."

And with that, she plunged after Mardon, who was screaming at the top of his lungs. She caught him a few feet lower by the foot and slowly landed on the concrete. Firestorm landed next to her, but he refused to blow out his fire.

"Try anything and I'll turn you into barbecue." He warned him.

#

The Flash materialized in front of Vibe and Caitlin the moment they stepped out of the portal, with Shawna by his side. Supergirl landed next to them, the force shaking the ground a little.

"Tell me what to do." Kara's voice was rigged with conviction.

She moved closer to her allies/friends eyeing Shawna, not really knowing if she should be wary of her. Caitlin traced her necklace afraid to take it off. She really didn't know if she could fight Killer Frost. Last time her evil side had taken over she nearly died. Caitlin knew that she had to help though. Even if her best friends hadn't asked her to do this, the young doctor felt she would have done the right thing either way. Before she ripped it off of her neck, she turned to Barry and Cisco.

"If you see a flicker of Killer Frost, you put this right back." Her tone was pleading.

Cisco nodded his head thinking about the last time he didn't respect Caitlin's wishes. He had lost his best friend and it was a miracle how he was able to get her back. He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

"Of course." Barry told Caitlin softly.

Caitlin gave him an appreciative look. Her eyes were almost teary from her fear of becoming Killer Frost again. She couldn't go through it again.

"Who is Killer Frost?" Kara asked.

It was something the others wanted to know too, as they listened to the conversation between the three close friends.

"Caitlin's evil alter ego." Was the only thing Cisco offered as an answer.

The man didn't want to go into detail right this moment. They were in the middle of a battle. They couldn't lose focus of that. Not wanting to waste another minute that would change her mind, Caitlin ripped the necklace and handed it to the Flash.

"Follow my lead." She said to Supergirl.

Their first targets were the bigger ones. Grodd and King Shark. Caitlin felt the familiar icy feeling in the palm of her hands. It was a sensation she grew accustomed to in her villainous days. By instinct Caitlin felt the ice build up and then she released it towards Grodd. It was somewhat easier to use her powers against the ape. Grodd and Caitlin always had a special connection, up until their trip to Gorilla City. There she had seen what Grodd had truly become. Caitlin held the ice stream steady and nodded at Supergirl. Kara felt the icy temperature leave Caitlin's hands and tried to copy it using her freeze breath on King Shark.

#

Green Arrow along with Alex Danvers watched hidden behind a wall as the agents of Cadmus patrolled their base of operation. Felicity and Winn had traced Cadmus in the desert just outside of National City, in a warehouse that shouldn't even exist. The other half of the newly formed league departed for the location as soon as Felicity had sent them the coordinates. The team, with the order of the Green Arrow (because Barry had given the vigilante the authority to be in charge in the field), had split into teams of two people. Oliver and Alex had taken the north side of the building, Sara and Mick Rory were on the west side, Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific snuck in form the south and Ray had shrunk and entered the facility from the front door in the east side completely undetected. Oliver had to admit to himself that he felt jealous of the man's super suit. In this size, the ATOM not only couldn't be seen in any of the security cameras but didn't send off any of the alarms Cadmus probably had.

Ray flew inside the facility and tried to locate the control room. Being a man of technology, it was easy for him to find the main server. Ray entered the motherboard and started ripping off wires. Soon the whole system had shut down. The computers stopped working and the lights went out. Then the emergency red lights were activated. That was their cue. Now it was the others' turn.

Cadmus' troops went in alert mode as soon as the emergency lights went on. In an almost state of panic of having been discovered, they prepared for an attack. Nothing could have prepared them, though, for the fury of White Canary's staff, or the raging fire of Heatwave's gun. The two Legends attacked the surprised members of Cadmus. White Canary broke her staff into two sticks and started breaking skulls. Well not exactly breaking them, but they would definitely be feeling the worst hangover of their lives when they gained consciousness.

Mr. Terriffic set his T-spheres free to do much of the job, while he entered the battle using his own fists. Oliver's over the top lessons had paid off. After hard work, lots of sweat and even more bruises and spilled blood, Curtis found most of his fists colliding with his enemies' faces and his arms blocking their attacks. Curtis ducked in order to avoid the bullets coming his way. Wild Dog had his back, though. Wearing his ridiculous outfit –according to Cisco's opinion- Rene fired his gun with tranquilizer bullets, much to his displeasure. Rene was adamant that he would only use normal bullets when Barry had said that they didn't need to kill anybody to shut down Cadmus. The speedster had given Rene a pointed look, which he had dismissed completely. When Oliver gave him the same look, though, Rene had groaned and agreed to take the altered bullets instead.

On the other side of the room, Alex fired her favorite laser gun. Soldiers surrounded her, but she didn't worry. She continued taking down those in front of her, while the Green Arrow covered her back. Alex didn't know how, but the archer had managed to climb on the ceiling and fired arrow after arrow backing the whole team when they were cornered or needed help. The men and women of Cadmus fell down either unconscious or tied up by silver rope they couldn't escape from.

#

Black Canary moved her stick around, but Black Siren was a well-trained fighter. After their last encounter on Lian Yu, they both knew that using their sonic powers against each other was foolish and catastrophic for both of them. So they decided to stick with the classic way of fighting. Black Canary had a few bruises on her side and a split on her right eyebrow, but it had stopped bleeding some time ago. Black Siren was in no better condition with her lip busted and two broken ribs. Neither woman refused to back down, though. Flash's voice echoed through the link informing them of the new development of their current situation and what actions they were to take next. Dinah groaned, but not from the pain. She wished she had Flash in front of her so that she could give him a piece of her mind. Fortunately for him, her hero side agreed that they had to save these scam bags. They might be bad people, but they were humans after all and pawns in Cadmus' game. They very much were the victims in this situation. Ok, save them there is. She didn't have to like it though.

"We can save you." Dinah gasped.

Black Siren paused, her left hand frozen in the air ready to strike. She looked confused at the hero lying on the ground. She didn't know if she had heard correctly. Was this some kind of trick?

"What?" she spat, her black lips frowned at the gesture.

"Flash just spoke to me. He knows about the virus."

"Flash." Black Siren laughed ironically. "What did the red boy-scout said again?"

Dinah breathed heavily. "He said he has a way to stop it. To find a cure."

Laurel laughed almost evilly. _That's cute_ , she thought. _Heroes, they think they have everything figured out._ "There won't be any time to find a cure. No one can help us."

"He has a plan. Cadmus won't be able to activate the virus. And then our people will find a cure."

Black Siren seemed in thought. The Metahuman from Earth-2 didn't want to have her hopes up only to come crashing down. "How?" she asked doubtfully.

Black Canary shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't share the details. Just that we can save you."

Black Siren turned her head to the side. She chuckled. It was a dark, mocking sound. "And why should I trust you? How do I know that it's not a trap?"

"Well," Dinah sighed. "It's what we do. We help people. Even the bad guys. And now you are all victims. So? What is it going to be?"

Black Siren seemed to be thinking about it for a while. Then her face turned into a frown and she finally sighed. "Fine. But only because I want my freedom back. First I was Zooms puppet and he left me in this unholy place to be locked up. Then Prometheus sets me free but only so that I could do his bidding and now Cadmus has my life on the line. What do I do?"

Dinah got on her feet and took a hold of her staff. "We only have to continue fighting."

Black Siren smirked. "That, I have no problem doing, honey."

#

Ray Palmer watched as White Canary took down two of Cadmus' men. He would have liked to participate in the fight, but he had another job to do. With the device Felicity gave him in his hand, Ray waited patiently all the information Cadmus had to transport into it. Felicity wanted to know everything about Cadmus. Every member, every operating facility, every project, every information they had. Generally, the computer genius and Ray's ex-girlfriend wanted to know everything about the organization, so that they didn't have to worry about any sudden surprises.

"Stop what you're doing. Deactivate the device." A woman's voice commanded.

Ray turned his head in the direction and found himself staring at a middle-aged woman, who was pointing a gun at him. Ray knew that the bullet couldn't penetrate his ATOM suit. The only weak spot was the face. It was something Ray had wanted to fix for some time now, but neither had he the time to do so, nor any ideas that were worthy.

"Look, "he said raising his other hand in fake surrender, ready to blast her any moment. "I don't know how this thing works. I didn't even make it."

The woman frowned and glared at him. Even from behind the safety of his suit, Ray felt a shiver ran through his body. "I think you're lying. Do it right now or-"

Whatever threat she was about to say died as she suddenly fell down. From behind her, Ray saw Alex Danvers pointing her laser gun at the woman who was standing two seconds ago. Ray grinned at the site of the D.E.O. agent.

"That is an awesome gun you have there." He said exited.

Alex smiled and came closer. "I know." She told him and reached behind her back to produce a pair of cuffs. "I hate that woman." She whispered to herself.

Ray heard her though and gave her a questioning look. The way she said it seemed more personal than just a common criminal that was more a pain in the ass than others.

"She held my father for years and threatened him that she would have me and Kara killed if he didn't do as she told him." She explained briefly.

"That's awful." Ray felt pleased that this woman would be going to prison now, where she belonged.

The Green Arrow jumped and landed next to them. Neither had seen the vigilante approach. Alex felt a little unnerved by this. She was a trained soldier, one of the best, and yet it was hard to keep up with the archer's moves. It was like the man was moving like a shadow. White Canary was finishing of the last members of Cadmus, along with Wild Dog and Mr. Terrific was cuffing those who were unconscious. Alex didn't know where the man had put all those cuffs, but she didn't question it. One thing she had learned since she met these people was that all of them were a weird bunch. But somehow they managed to work along like pieces of the same puzzle. Green Arrow pressed the link on his chest.

"Overwatch, are there any more heat signatures in the building?"

"It's Winn actually." he answered form the cortex of STAR labs. "Cisco and Caitlin needed to go in the field, so Felicity took over his side."

"Why would they need to go there?"

"Something about freezing the Metahumans and opening a portal to Earth-2."

Oliver shook his head. Why would Barry need to go to Earth-2? Either way, the scarlet speedster had a reason and Oliver trusted Barry to know what he was doing.

"There are no more people there that I can see." Winn informed the team.

"All the information has been copied." Ray declared.

"Good." The Green Arrow nodded his head pleased. "Call the authorities."

Winn paused his fingers merely inches above the keyboard. Winn was used to calling the D.E.O. for any aliens or common criminals. Calling the police to take care of the solved problem felt weird to him. They acted outside the law, so how can he do what Oliver just told him risking their exposure?

"Y-you want me t-to..." his voice trembled.

"Felicity." Was the only word spoken from Oliver's lips.

"On it." Came the answer from the blonde. "Oh, by the way, Flash wants Alex to go to Earth-2 to help Caitlin and Professor Stein create an antidote for whatever Cadmus has injected her Suicide Squad with."

The Green Arrow turned and looked at the others that surrounded him. Even Sara, Mick, Rene and Curtis had joined them now.

"Let's go." he told them.

#

It was taking too long for Caitlin and Kara to freeze the two big Metahumans without killing them. Barry was worried that using her powers too long would wake up Killer Frost. Cisco was thinking the same thing. Vibe was chewing his lower lip like it was one of his suckers. Caitlin felt the darkness reaching out to her, but she refused to let it take control of her. She kept the temperature of the ice steady. Caitlin heard the faint voice o Killer Frost mock her in the depths of her mind. _You can't control it,_ she said. _You can't control these powers. Not alone. Only I can._ Caitlin heard her laugh coldly. The sound made her skin chilly. _You can't keep me locked up forever._

 _Watch me!_ Caitlin spat at her.

Barry saw his friend's skin growing paler by the second. Caitlin's body was growing cold. He knew that if she kept this up she would freeze and then Killer Frost would resurface.

"Caitlin, I think you have to stop." He said with worry laced in his voice.

The doctor shook her head. "Just a little longer."

"It's too dangerous." The speedster tried to argue.

At last, Grodd was frozen solid. Caitlin let out a breath. Then she turned her head trying to find her next target.

"Caitlin, you should put your necklace back." Cisco told her.

"I can do this. Just one more."

"Cait, your hair has started turning white."

Caitlin stopped dead in her trucks. She raised her hand and took a lock of her hair. Sure enough, there was some white hair already. Catlin felt a lump in her throat.

"But we still have, Weather Wizard and Shawna and..."

Barry clipped the necklace around her neck. "It's taking too long anyway. Cisco, open the breach. Kid Flash grab Black Siren and Mardon and speed them to Earth-2. I'll take Shawna and Livewire. Supergirl, I think you can carry the other two. They have frozen anyway."

Kara nodded her head and Cisco raised his hand opening the portal to Earth-2, leading to STAR labs. Wally picked Black Siren and Mark Mardon before either one could blink and threw them in one of the cells Harry had. Barry did the same and then came back. Supergirl picked up King Shark first and flew into the breach.

"Professor Stein, you think you can go with Caitlin and help her with the cure?" Barry asked Firestorm.

Jax spoke for the professor. "Grey says he'll get right to it. I've never been to another Earth before. It should be interesting. Yes, Grey, I'm coming too. No, I won't be in your way. I'll take a look around in Central City 2."

It was always amusing listening to Firestorm arguing. For Jax, it was annoying to have Stein's voice inside his head, but the rest of them could only hear one side of the conversation. To the common eye, it looked like the young man was arguing with himself.

"Kara you said that Alex is a bioengineer right?" Flash asked Supergirl, who had just come back to retrieve Grodd.

"Yes, she is." The blonde Kryptonian answered.

Flash nodded his head and turned to Caitlin. The doctor nodded. "It would be a big help."

Barry brought his hand on his ear and pressed the com. "Overwatch, when the others come back ask Alex to go to Earth-2 to help Caitlin and Stein."

"Ok, Barry."

Caitlin and Firestorm walked into the breach behind Supergirl. Once they did, Cisco closed it.

"Let's go back to STAR labs." Flash told everyone.

"Good." J'onn came up to them. "And then you can explain to us who Killer Frost is exactly."


	16. The future

Chapter 16

 _2024_

Footsteps echoed in the Arrowcave. It was a sound that hadn't been heard in a very long time. It was a wonder how the place still existed after being abandoned so many years ago. The spider webs and dust told the tail of what had happened since the last members of team arrow had step foot in here. The figure maneuvered around of what used to be a mannequin, now laid on the ground half broken and burned. The person avoided a particularly big spider web and looked down not wanting to step into any surprises. They noticed that the combat boots they were wearing had turned white from the dust. The figure had been in the abandoned arrow cave for a little more than five minutes. The person frowned. They wondered if it would have been wiser to bring an oxygen mask with. The amount of dust they swallowed surely was unhealthy. A sigh escaped their lips. They needed to find what they were looking for, or rather who. _Just a little further_. The person wondered how he was able to breathe all this time down here. He was hard to find. Having learned from the league of assassins how to cover his trucks, he moved like a shadow. But they were certain that he was here now. After all the looking they had done, something had paid off. And it showed that he was here.

"Oliver." Alex shouted.

The man didn't answer back. Alex was sure that he was trying to make her leave. Well, tough luck for him. Alex wasn't leaving this place without him. Alex pushed a bid, heavy object aside. She wasn't sure what it was, or it's use. She guessed it was something Curtis was working on once upon a time. She moved a little further into the dark room. When there was no sign of Oliver Queen she sighed again. She pressed her lips and her nose fluttered as she glared at nothing in particular. He was a stubborn piece of a man, she would give him that. It was actually the only thing he and Barry Allen had in common. And speaking of the scarlet speedster, Alex called Oliver's name again. There was no answer this time too.

"Oliver I know you are here. I'm not leaving. Not until I talk to you."

"You shouldn't be here."

Alex snapped her head in the direction of the voice. Oliver made himself visible from behind a pile of broken computers and made his way towards the woman. He looked tired, Alex noted. It didn't surprise her after all the running he has been doing since Barry was caught. Then again, everyone was different since that day.

"Finally." She exclaimed.

"You should leave, Alex. You can't be here." Oliver's emotionless voice didn't change after their confrontation.

Alex shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until you listen to me."

"I know why you are here." He told her and crossed his arms across his chest. "And I'm telling you that you have to leave."

Alex gasped in frustration. Her jaw tightened in anger. "This situation can't continue any longer Oliver. The Worldkillers have destroyed everything. There are so few of us left to defend the world, but we are useless against them, we can't fight them."

Oliver nodded, a sad expression ghosting on his features. "I know." He whispered.

"And instead of staying and help us, you decided to run." Alex was mad now. "My sister is dead, Oliver. And so is J'onn, Felicity, Firestorm, Ray, Sara, Mon-El." Alex shook her head.

Tears formed in her eyes thinking about the day Kara was killed by Reign, the leader of the Worldkillers. The pain she had felt watching her sister's light fade away, knowing there was nothing she could do to save her, hadn't reduced in the slightest. With watery eyes, she looked at him. Oliver was on the verge of tears himself. She could imagine how he felt. He had lost almost all of his friends, but he truly broke when the Worldkillers caught Barry. The hardest thing was knowing that he wasn't dead. No, being a speedster was useful to those things. They kept him locked up and drained him from the speedforce to use his electricity for their needs.

"We have to get him out."

"We can't." Oliver's voice was so beaten. It was the voice of a man who had given up. "We tried before, have you forgotten? Even when Kara was still alive. And we couldn't. Now, we have lost all our most powerful members, what can we do?"

" **That is not entirely true.** " A cold voice said. " **You know who can break Flash out of his prison.** "

Oliver's shoulders tensed at the sound of the voice. The figure walked slowly towards the two of them. Her walking was so much different now. It was playful, yet dangerous, like a predator intimidating his pray. She seemed like she was slithering towards them.

"Killer Frost." Her name came out of Oliver's mouth like a statement.

Alex went straight to her gun but didn't point it at her. It was just a precaution. They didn't know why Killer Frost was here. It was a surprise to say the least. None of them had seen Caitlin since after Barry's capture. There was a reason as to why she was here, the question was: was she on their side?

" **Hello, Oliver. Alex. Long time, no see.** " Even the way she spoke was playful.

"What are you doing here, Caitlin?"

Killer Frost smirked at Oliver. Her frozen, blue lips was a strange sight to both him and Alex. " **What do you mean? I came to help.** "

"Help?" Alex laughed. "You ripped your necklace off, became Killer Frost and left." She spat angrily.

Killer Frost shrugged. " **I had to protect myself. Barry was captured, Wally lost his speed, Kara died... And with the Worldkillers out there I couldn't rely on anyone but myself. How many times did we try to rescue Barry to only return with fewer friends on our side?** "

Alex and Oliver didn't speak. Caitlin was right. Everything had gone downhill – the world had gone downhill.

"So why are you here now?" Alex asked again.

Killer Frost smirked again. " **I told you.** " She moved, waving her long black nails. " **I'm here to help free the Flash.** " Her white curly hair moved seductively as she turned her head to look at Oliver with her icy eyes. " **I know you know where Cisco is. It's time for him to put his Vibe goggles on.** "

Alex looked surprised at the former archer. "You know where Cisco is?"

Oliver sighed and nodded.

" **Of course he does. They are a team after all, aren't you Ollie? Just like Barry wanted.** " Killer frost laughed and Oliver hated how smug she sounded.

Oliver sighed and massaged his temples. "Cisco is with Iris and the twins. He's protecting them." he said. Oliver eyed Alex. She was looking at him questionably. It was understandable, no one knew about what Barry made him and Cisco promise. He was surprised that Killer Frost knew. But then again Caitlin was one of the cleverest people he knew, she must have figured it out. "The day the twins were born, Barry made me and Cisco vow that if anything happened to him, we would protect his family at any cost. So that's what we did. When the Worldkillers captured him, Cisco took Iris and the twins and ran, and I stayed behind to cover their trucks and help free Barry. As you can see the last part didn't work out."

"That's why you're constantly changing locations." Alex realized.

Oliver nodded. "When they leave, Cisco vibes me the location of where they were and I go and make sure there is nothing that leads to them."

"Well where are they now?"

"I don't know."

" **I'm sure you can find out.** " Killer Frost said. " **We don't have much time. This world is nearing the end and only Vibe can release Flash from his prison.** "

"What do you suggest?" Alex asked her.

Killer Frost smirked again. " **Save the Flash, so he can save the rest of us. We can't defeat the Worldkillers now, they're too powerful. But we can if we have a heads start.** "

#

 _2017_

The cortex of STAR labs was crowded once again today, as it will be again many times in the future. Everyone minus Caitlin, Jax, Stein and Alex, who were currently on Earth-2 trying to create a cure for the virus Cadmus had created, was there. Cisco had sent Alex over there as soon as she, Oliver, Sara, Rene, Curtis, Ray and Mick were back and Cadmus had been apprehended by the police.

J'onn cleared his throat. Barry and Cisco knew that this was the Martian's way of wanting them to start explaining about Killer Frost. It was a subject neither member of team flash was comfortable exploring. How could they reveal that one of them had powers that turned them evil and convince the rest of them that Caitlin was still harmless and could stay on the team without worry? Yet, both men acknowledged that keeping everyone else in the dark was wrong. Even if there was the slightest chance that Caitlin could become Killer Frost again, their allies needed to know the whole truth. Cisco and Barry shared a look and the latest gulped before turning back to the group of people.

"It's time we explain about who Killer Frost is." He began, hoping his next sentence was less awkward.

Barry saw Felicity and Oliver looking patiently at him with calm faces. They waited for him to explain on his own time, without putting pressure on him. Barry felt relief washing over him. It was a feeling he welcomed happily, knowing that his friends supported him. Of course Oliver, Felicity, Diggle and Thea knew a little about Caitlin having powers, but not the extent of them and the price they came with. Barry took another deep breath before continuing.

"Caitlin has powers. Cold powers." He waited for everyone to nod. "But in contrary with mine or Cisco's, when Caitlin uses them for a while they take control of her."

"What do you mean ' _Take control of her'_?" Kara asked frowning.

"She becomes this other person... Killer Frost." Barry struggled to find the right words. "Killer Frost is an entirely different person. She is evil, cold, selfish. Basically, the opposite of Caitlin."

"You mean like a split personality?" Ray asked.

"Sort of. It's more like the personality of her powers. Caitlin is still in there, but unless it's a life or death situation she can't take back control over her body."

"Then how come she hasn't tried to kill any of us yet?" J'onn questioned.

"She wears her power dampening necklace. As long as her powers are locked, Killer frost is locked too."

"What about a cure?" Kara said, feeling sorry for Caitlin. "Can't you reverse her condition?"

Barry and Cisco exchanged looks again. This time it was Cisco who explained. "A few months ago, when Caitlin when full on Killer Frost, we were able to take her blood and Julian, another friend of ours, with Caitlin's mother's help, created a serum that would rewrite her DNA back into human. We gave her a choice. Caitlin was able to push aside her killer instincts, but she wasn't Caitlin anymore. She had done some bad things and she wanted to find out who she was."

"Understandable." Amaya whispered. Cisco sent her a weak smile, which she returned.

"Anyway, after a couple of weeks she came back and took the serum."

"And it didn't work?"Felicity frowned. She knew that Caitlin's mother was one of the best scientists in the world.

"It did. For a few days." Cisco admitted. "The serum was addictive and the more often she took it the less effect it had on her."

Kara sucked in a breath. It was horrible. Caitlin's condition was a curse. The Kryptonian thought that no one deserved to go through something like this.

J'onn had a thoughtful look on his face. "She is dangerous." He said finally.

"As long as she wears her necklace she is completely normal." Barry quickly argued.

"She is a ticking time bomb." J'onn argued back. "How do you know that this necklace can hold her powers locked forever? Or even that she won't lose it? We live dangerous lives, anything can happen. Someone can kidnap her and in the process she loses it."

"Caitlin has overpowered Killer Frost before." Cisco defended his best friend.

Barry nodded. "Caitlin has been a part of our team since I got my powers. She is our friend and she has saved our lives more times than I can count. We can't give up on her – we won't."

"They are right."Ray agreed. "Caitlin is our friend. We can't cast her aside like this."

J'onn folded his arms in front of his chest. The news unsettled him. He didn't mean ill for the sweet woman he had met, but her uncontrolled powers were a risk. "It's a risk. We can't worry all the time for when her evil side will take over."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Felicity glared at him. "The last thing we should do is push her aside. Caitlin needs our help. All of us. We need to comfort her, help her with this, not estrange her."

Barry and Cisco send a thankful nod in her direction. The blonde smiled warmly at the men.

"I know that, if I was in Caitlin's shoes I would want my friends' support." Kara said quietly.

"Caitlin isn't going anywhere." Barry said finally.

"We're not abandoning her, Barry." Oliver assured the speedster.

Being outnumbered, J'onn sighed and nodded. Sara was quiet throughout the whole debate. She shook her head at them. They didn't understand what the young doctor was going through. Sara, though, she had a feeling of what Caitlin felt like when her powers took control. It was similar to what had happened to her when she was resurrected from the Lazarus pit. Undoubtedly, it wasn't the same, but the base of it was familiar to the assassin.

"She needs to learn to navigate her powers." She said out of the blue.

All heads turned to her, surprised she had spoken when the conversation seemed to have been over.

"She is afraid of her powers, isn't she?" she asked.

"Yea..?" Cisco answered unsure of what the woman's point was.

"That's why they take control of her. She needs to learn how to control them, but that is something I'll have to discuss with her." She explained. "Now, since this problem has been solved, I want to talk about something else. I have the feeling that this mess is going to take more than a few days or weeks to fix."

"I have the same feeling." Cisco agreed.

Sara nodded and determined looked around her. "I was afraid of that. Whatever the case may be, we can't leave the timeline unprotected. There are still aberrations that need correcting and those that may happen in the future."

"Sara is right. Same as you can't leave your cities completely unprotected even though you are trying to save the world, neither can we leave the timeline free to time pirates." Ray agreed.

"We understand." Barry told them. "Which is why the first person to return to the Waverider is Amaya."

The woman in question looked taken aback by the speedster's words. "And why is that?"

"Well, you can't exactly stay in this timeline. Your granddaughter is here." He told her.

"And she is Vixen, using the totem you are wearing around your neck." Cisco reminded her.

Amaya reached automatically for the totem. Her fingers traced it feeling the curves it had. They were right, she couldn't stay. She would alter the timeline if she did.

"Besides, you are not from this timeline. It's hard to explain, but if someone stays in a time they don't belong for a long time, they eventually lose themselves." Sara added causing Ray to frown.

"You don't want _that_ to happen. Trust me, I speak from experience." He told Amaya.

The woman nodded. "Ok, then."

"If Amaya is going, then I'm going with her." Nate spoke and lashed their fingers together. "I'm not leaving her."

"Whatever." Mick grumbled. "I'm not a hero. But I can put up with these losers."

Nate clapped his hands. "Great. Anyone else?"

"I have a few people in mind that will be helpful." Oliver told him.

"I do too." J'onn said. "Just let me speak to her first though."

#

 _2024_

In an abandoned house just out of Gerlach in Nevada, Cisco Ramon looked the grey sky from the window debating which would be the best next destination. He and the Allen family had covered almost the entire U.S. Maybe it was time to look abroad. Perhaps Don and Dawn would like it in Columbia or better Cisco could take them to Europe. He knew that Iris had always wanted to see Paris, but Cisco felt like it would have been better if she was to go with Barry instead. Europe had so many countries, he could pick another one. Cisco sighed lost in his thoughts. The man had changed over the last three years. His long hair was now tight in a low ponytail and he had left his facial hair grow. His then joking side was limited only to make the twins smile every once in a while and his carefree personality had been exchanged with worry and constant planning.

Iris entered the room looking as beat as he was. Taking care of the kids by herself was not easy. She was thankful that she had Cisco with her, he was a lot of help. But it still wasn't enough, not as things would have been if Barry was here. The longing for her husband was a constant reminder day after day. There were times when Iris wanted to give up. When the pain of losing the love of her life became unbearable. The only thing that kept her alive and sane was her love for her two precious children. Cisco heard her enter and turned his attention from the window.

"Are Don and Dawn asleep?"

Iris nodded. "I just checked on them."

She moved quietly towards a chair and sat. Cisco turned so that his entire body was facing her now, but didn't attempt to get up and move closer to her. Comfortable silence fell upon them. It had become a regular thing to sit in the same room together and not talk. Iris noticed Cisco had a faraway look. Her shoulders tensed at the familiar look she knew her friend had only when he vibed. Cisco blinked as the vision ended.

"What did you see, Cisco?" Iris was almost afraid to ask.

She knew that they had to leave this place sometime soon. She, herself, had been thinking about new places in her mind. But she was tired of running. The twins were tired of moving. Iris' heart broke for her children. She wanted them to have a normal life, go to the playground, have friends, go to kindergartner. Sometimes when she lay at night on her bed to sleep, she would play normal, happy stories in her mind. They were just dreams, though. Reality was far worse. No one was safe, no man, no woman, no child. Especially her kids, because they were born speedsters. Iris was glad neither Don, nor Dawn had shown signs of the speedforce yet. She hoped that they wouldn't develop their powers soon, they were too young for that.

Cisco frowned. "Oliver is here."

Before Iris had the chance to frown in question the door opened. Cisco moved quickly in front of Iris, ready to defend her, with speed that would make his buddy, the Flash, proud.

"It's ok, Cisco. It's just us." Oliver said coming to view followed by Alex.

Cisco's shoulders relaxed and he lowered his hands to his sides. "Oliver, Alex. What are you guys doing here?"

" **Don't forget about me.** "

Both Cisco and Iris turned surprised towards the cold voice that came from the now closed door. A deep frown settled on Cisco's face that quickly turned into anger.

"Killer Frost." He spat her name with coldness matching her own. The little sadness in his voice couldn't be missed though. "What is _she_ doing here?" he asked Oliver, but his eyes never left his former best friend.

Killer Frost's lips curled into an amusing smile. " **Oh, why? I'm here to help.** "

"It's true." Oliver confirmed.

Cisco glanced at the archer's direction briefly and then returned his gaze back on Killer Frost. He carefully held his body in front of Iris, tensed and alert, even though Oliver and Alex were in the same room. He didn't trust her. He didn't trust who Caitlin had become. Cisco had tried to get her to come back to them after she became Killer Frost. He had tried to help her in every way he could, yet the new Caitlin had refused anything he had to offer. She rejected him and abandoned everyone. So Cisco was wary of her presence. If she made the slightest wrong move he was prepared to shatter her nervous system and while she was recovering he would grab the twins and disappear.

Killer Frost rolled her eyes. " **It's ok, honey. I'm not here to harm you.** "

"And why exactly are you here?" Iris questioned from behind Cisco. She made a bold move and stepped forward from Vibe's protection, wanting to show Killer Frost that she wasn't afraid. Iris hadn't seen the familiar face of her doctor friend since a few months after Don and Dawn were born. It felt strange but at the same time joyful seeing Caitlin amongst them and ready to be part of the team once again.

"We are going to rescue Barry." Oliver confessed.

Both Cisco and Iris blinked at the man surprised. They both had expected anything _but_ that to be the reason for their unexpected visit. Cisco was so shocked he didn't realize he dropped his hands. Iris was overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions. First was hope that she would see her husband again and along with that came joy. But then she remembered the times the team had tried unsuccessfully to do the exact same thing and her hopes came crashing down. Disappointment, sorrow, pain.

"How can we?" Cisco questioned. "We've tried. We failed."

"Well, you didn't have me before."

"You sure are full of yourself."

Killer Frost smirked. " **I only state the truth. Anyway, it's time for you to put on the costume again Vibe-boy.** "

"Why?" he demanded.

Caitlin rolled her eyes again. " **Because. You are the only one that can release Flash from his bonds.** "

Cisco shook his head. "No. I made a promise to Barry that I would take care of his family and that's what I'm going to do."

"We all know that the best person to protect Iris and the twins is Barry himself." Alex told him.

"I agree with Alex." Oliver looked at Cisco. "And besides that, it's not just them that need protecting. The Worldkillers destroy a new city every day. Pretty soon they will destroy the entire Earth. That's what they do. It's why they are called Worldkillers."

Cisco knew that Oliver was right and so did Iris. But they both also knew that they couldn't handle another failure. What would happen if their efforts were futile once more? Cisco tuned and looked straight into Killer Frost's icy eyes.

"So why did you, all of a sudden, decided to help? What's in it for you?"

The woman shrugged innocently. " **I happen to like living on this Earth. If I have to team with you to continue living on it, I'll do it. The question is...** " her fingernails danced as she pointed at him. " **Are you willing to do the same?** "

Before Cisco could answer a small voice interrupted the conversation. "Uncle Ollie?" Two little heads peered from the staircase. Oliver smiled as Don and Dawn ran to him and embraced him in a tight hug. Oliver caressed their black curls earning a giggle from them in return. The twins hadn't inherited Iris chocolate dark skin, but they were nowhere near as pale as Barry. They both had his eyes though.

" **Well, if it isn't Barry Allen's kids.** "

"Watch it." Iris warned, being overprotective with her children.

Killer Frost raised her hands in mock surrender. " **Relax, will you? I already told you I'm on your side.** "

Alex took Dawn and Don's small hands and walked slowly up the stairs. "Come on kids. Let's go play with your toys."

As soon as the twins were out of hearing range the four remaining people returned their attention to one another. Cisco sighed and put his hands on his hips.

"Ok." He started. "Even if we manage to get Barry back somehow, we still can't defeat the Worldkillers, they have grown too powerful."

" **We can't defeat them now.** "

Cisco looked at Killer Frost realizing what she meant. "You want him to time travel."

She nodded. " **Once free and out of his bonds, that block him from accessing the speedforce, Flash can go back in time and warn us. That way we'll find them sooner before they develop their powers at full capacity.** " She explained.

Cisco nodded. If someone had asked him to let his friend time travel a few years ago, Cisco would have snapped at their face. Flashpoint was the mistake that made Barry vow to never change anything in the past ever again. Cisco had been particularly salty about it for a long time, but after making the same mistake his friend had done, Cisco realized the true consequences of messing with time. Now was different though. This time they had nothing to lose – literally. The consequences of altering the past couldn't be any worse than what the world already was. The end of the world was near. And Cisco found no other solution than to agree with Oliver and Killer Frost. He raised his head and looked at them both.

"He won't do it." His voice was so soft, like a whisper. "After Flashpoint happened, Barry vowed to never time travel – well, actually to never alter past events."

Oliver looked sad at Cisco's words.

"He will." Everyone turned to look at Iris confused. They all knew that once Barry made up his mind no one could change it. "He will do it if I ask him. His kids' lives are in danger. Leave it to me, I can get him to time travel."


	17. Preparations

Chapter 17

Cisco led Dinah to a room in the far bottom of STAR labs. It was a big empty space with nothing much in it. Oliver, Felicity, Rene and Curtis had gone back to Star City. They had responsibilities there and they no longer needed to stay in the lab. So Dinah was the only one who had stayed behind. As they had agreed, the woman was about to do some tests for Cisco and Caitlin in order to have a better understanding of how her powers work and what effect they had on her.

As for doctor Caitlin Snow, she had arrived back with Alex, Stein and Jax a couple of hours ago, after they had successfully created an antidote for the virus. They had left the metahumans on Earth-2, though, with Harry to observe them until there was no longer any danger of the virus. Then he would contact them to take them back. All except form King Shark. He belonged to Earth-2 and according to Iris West police Captain, he was a wanted criminal who needed to be locked up for his crimes.

Kara, Alex, Winn and J'onn had gone too back to National City to continue their regular lives until Saturday, when they were all supposed to meet or if something came up earlier- something they all hoped it didn't happen.

Dinah inspected the room curiously. From what she had seen from the rest of the facility, team Flash had different kind of machines or computers in every room they used. From what she had gathered, each room had its specific purpose and was equipped accordingly. Yet, in here Dinah could only see some iron poles she had no idea what they were for. Dinah wondered if this was the labs' parking lot or some kind of extra storage room.

"Alright." She heard Cisco mumble excitedly as he approached a rather small platform. "Let's get this party started."

"I don't see how this is a party." Dinah told him frowning at the man.

"You'll get used to Cisco's remarks." Caitlin told her coming to the room holding a tablet.

"What is this place anyway?" Dinah waved her hand showing the room.

"This is where we trained Linda to pretend to be Dr. Light." Caitlin answered with her sweet voice. When she saw Dinah arch her eyebrow she laughed. "It's a long story."

"It always is." Dinah mumbled to herself.

Caitlin looked over at Cisco, who was setting some objects in order. "Cisco is everything set?" she asked. Caitlin taped a few things on her tablet making sure that the sensors she had placed on Dinah worked. If one of them was not working, the readings would be incorrect.

"No, it's not. I'm doing all the work by myself." He groaned.

The doctor frowned but didn't look up as she continued typing a few more things. "I thought Barry was going to help you."

Cisco stopped what he was doing and turned his body towards his friend. He put his hands on his hips and said angrily. "Barry bailed on me and went home with Iris."

Cisco wasn't really angry at the speedster, only annoyed that he had to do all the work. Cisco had hoped that Barry would use his superspeed to prepare the training room so that he wouldn't have to do anything. As soon as the meeting was over, though, Barry had interlocked fingers with Iris and announced that he was going to spend some quality time with his fiancé.

Caitlin set the tablet down and smiled at her friend. "Come on Cisco, give him a break. It hasn't been long since he came back from the speedforce and you know he stayed there a few years. Wanting to be with Iris every chance he gets is very normal."

It was true. After Barry had followed the speedforce image of Nora Allen to stop the speedforce storm from bleeding energy into the world, no one knew when they would see him again. And although no one gave up hope that he would return, they didn't know when that day would come or how they could bring him back without destroying the world in the process. Then, a month and a half ago, Barry returned claiming that the speedforce had let him out because he had served his time and he was needed. Barry didn't know anything else, the speedforce was mystical with its knowledge and Barry barely remembered it telling him that. What he did remember, though, was that he had stayed inside it for more than a couple of years.

Cisco grimaced. "I hate it when you are right."

The three of them then continued setting the objects in place so that Dinah could train her sonic powers. There were small and big objects from many different materials. When they were done, both Cisco and Caitlin sighed and walked back to the platform, where Caitlin picked up her tablet again.

"Let's begin. I want you to hit the first target with your Canary Cry at full power. Don't hold anything back." Caitlin told the metahuman.

Dinah nodded. She hadn't tried using her full power yet, so she was a little concerned if it was wise to do it. But then she remembered what Oliver had told her, that these people were experts on metahumans and knew what they were doing. So Dinah took a deep breath ready to do everything these two told her.

"Wait!" suddenly Cisco yelled before Dinah could use her powers. She turned to look at him confused. "I forgot the earplugs."

#

 _2024_

"Ok, so what's the plan?" Cisco asked Oliver.

The two of them along with Killer Frost remained in the living room, which to be honest seemed more like a battlefield. Iris had just left to find some paper to write a letter to Barry in hopes to convince him to travel in the past and warn their past selves of the Worldkillers. Oliver coughed and eyed Killer Frost from the corner of his eyes.

"It's not me who made the plan." He admitted quietly.

Cisco's head turned towards his former best friend with a snap. Oliver wondered if the man had managed to break his own neck, but his head was still supported on his shoulders.

" _She_ came up with the plan?" he couldn't believe it.

When Oliver nodded his head, Cisco groaned and rolled his eyes. _Great,_ he thought. Now, if the plan failed and they all ended up dead he knew who to blame. Killer Frost, on the other hand, stretched her cold blue lips into a big smile and pulled a rolled piece of paper. She opened it revealing a map. Taking a closer look at it, Cisco realized that it was a blueprint of the place where the Worldkillers help Barry. Killer Frost much had copied it somehow.

" **This is where they keep the Flash.** " She pointed her black nail on the map.

"Ok, so what? I just open a breach in the room and take us there?" Cisco folded his arms in front of his chest having a doubtful look on his face. There was no way it was so easy.

"It's not so simple." Oliver said.

" **This room is filled with power dampening devices.** " Killer Frost explained. "So when we enter that room we will lose our powers and we will be caught too."

Cisco nodded taking in the information. "Alright. So let's do this. I open a portal and I keep it open until you two go in, uncuff Barry and bring him back."

"That's impossible too." Cisco glared at Oliver, who let out a sigh. "The room has highly surveillance by Kryptonian technology. Reign will be there in seconds. Maybe if we had Winn we would be able to hack them, but he's dead."

Cisco cursed in Spanish. From all the languages Oliver Queen knew, Spanish was not one of them. The archer wondered what Cisco said meant in English. Maybe he should have swallowed one of those pills the Legends have that allows you to understand and speak every language that exists.

"What about the other Worldkillers? Reign isn't the only one."

" **Today it is. The other three have gone to wreak havoc elsewhere**." Killer Frost replied.

"You've thought about everything, haven't you?"

Killer Frost smirked. "Of course I have. What, did you think I'd offer my help if I wasn't one hundred percent sure that the plan would work?"

Cisco pressed his lips together. "And how do you know all this?"

Killer Frost smirked once again. "I have my ways."

This was her way of telling Cisco that she would never reveal to him how she gathered this information. Cisco tried one more time to find his friend hidden behind Killer Frost's eyes, but the only thing he saw was cold staring back at him. Cisco cleared his throat and nodded.

"So how are going to do this?"

" **The hard way.** " Killer Frost answered.

#

 _2017_

J'onn Jonzz knocked on M'gann's door waiting patiently for her to open it. In his hands, he held two cups of coffee he had grabbed on his way to see her form the coffee shop around the corner. M'gann answered the door a little confused, but happy to see J'onn.

"Hey!" she greeted him.

J'onn smiled at her. "Hello, M'gann. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Of course not." She replied stepping aside to let him in. "You were a little cryptic on the phone about why you wanted to meet." She admitted as she closed the door. "I'm intrigued though."

J'onn didn't want to have this conversation at a coffee shop or any public place for that matter. One thing he had learned over the years he had spent hiding was that even walls had ears and J'onn wouldn't risk the sensitivity of the matter.

"So, how have you been, M'gann?" he asked as he leaned on the kitchen counter.

M'gann mirrored his movement before leaving a smooth sigh. "I've been better." She admitted shaking her head slightly. "But I've been worse too."

"What happened on Mars? We never had the chance to catch up after you came back to help with the Daxamites."

"I stayed hidden with a family of white Martians that didn't agree with killing green Martians. Even with my ex-husband dead, there are a lot of others that want my head. Mostly to make an example of what happens to Martians who help or sympathize with your kind." M'gann's voice trembled a little.

Going back there reminded her of all the terrible things she was forced to do. The people she killed, the children and women she saw killed by her kind. It felt like going to hell. M'gann brought the cup of coffee J'onn brought with him on her lips. She swallowed and the taste made her smile a little. J'onn knew exactly how she liked it. They didn't have coffee on Mars. Even if there was, M'gann was pretty sure it would have been destroyed with how the white Martians enjoyed burning the place.

"The next day I started searching for others that were like me. I had to be very careful, but the family I lived with helped me. They knew of some and after I talked to them they brought others. We are not many, but still..." her voice died. How could they make a difference with so few Martians on their side?

J'onn gave her a small smile trying to ease her troubles, which M'gann returned.

"So, what now? Are you going to go back?"

M'gann pressed her lips and shook her head. "I can't." she sighed. "When we left Mars we alerted the other white Martians. They know it was me, so I can't go back. Truth is I shouldn't even be here. It's the first place they're going to come looking for me. But...I don't know, it's.."

"Hard." J'onn finished the sentence for her. "This place holds a lot of memories. I know."

She smiled at him nodding her head. "Exactly."

"So, your kind is still hunting you." J'onn more like stated.

"Yes. The order is to bring me alive so that they'll execute me in a public place to be an example."

M'gann tried not to think about what would happen if they caught her in the end, but it was hard. Her mind was used to always be on alert, preparing for when it was time to flee. There were times when M'gann even thought about surrendering. All the terrible things she had done hunted her day and night. A part of her believed that she deserved to die for her sins. Another told her that she deserved to suffer with her demons and another that she needed to redeem herself. M'gann didn't know which part of her had kept her alive until now. Maybe all of them at different times. She lifted her head when she felt J'onn's hand touching hers. J'onn was so kind. Looking into his eyes M'gann felt peace she hadn't felt for a very long time. J'onn squeezed her hand one time as if to reassure her that everything will be ok.

"I have a way to help with that." He told her.

M'gann's eyes widened as she looked at him with surprise. "How?"

"It's not ideal and you can think about it before you say yes, but I think it's a good proposition in relation to the alternative." He waited until she nodded to continue. "I've made a few new acquaintances...friends of a friend of Kara."

"Let me guess. They are heroes too?" she arched an eyebrow.

J'onn chuckled. "Kind of. They are not as popular as Kara and they don't protect a city."

M'gann frowned. "What do they protect?"

J'onn sighed, his eyes never leaving hers. "The timeline. They are time travelers who protect the timeline from those who want to alter it and cause problems."

By now M'gann was looking at him like, as the humans say, was from Mars. In which case he was, so the phrase didn't actually apply to him. J'onn was expecting this reaction though. If he hadn't travel between dimensions, he would have a hard time believing anything Winn and Kara told him about their impossible friend from another universe-who could time travel.

"Time travel."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's real. And believe me, I'm dealing with crazier things than time travel."

"Crazier?" M'gann looked doubtful.

"Yes. I can't even begin to go into detail about it, but we are forming a group to deal with this and some of the crew that time travels is staying behind to help. They can't all stay though as they still need to protect the timeline, so they are looking for people to help them make their team whole."

"And you want me to go with them." M'gann realized.

J'onn nodded. "Look." he sighed. "I don't know what it is like to time travel. I know that it can be dangerous at times, but look at it this way: your kind won't be able to find you. From what they told me, their time ship stays in a zone that time doesn't pass and when they get an alert or a time-quake -whatever it's called when time is altered- they leave to fix it. Think about it like a trip in the history of the human race, but you'll get a little action too." He laughed.

M'gann laughed as well. Then she sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Look, think about it. Maybe I can send someone to talk to you more about it if you want before you make your decision."

M'gann smiled and nodded. "Will there be more new people or just me?"

"Well, the Green Arrow said that he had some people in mind to bring along."

M'gann smiled at him. "I'll think about it."

#

 _2024_

Iris West walked down the stairs just as Oliver Quinn was staffing his quiver with arrows. He had his Green Arrow outfit already on.

"Kryptonite arrows?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "You know those won't kill Reign."

"They won't." he agreed softly. "But they will hurt like a bitch and will provide Cisco the time to get to Barry."

A sad expression clouded both their faces. They both missed the speedster –for different reasons of course. Iris sighed and gave Oliver a letter she had written for Barry.

"Here. I hope the plan works."

Oliver took it carefully and stuffed it in a secret pocket on his suit. "You and me both. But I promise you this." He rested his right hand on Iris' shoulder. "Even if it kills me, I will get him out."

Iris stared at the archer with wide, big, chocolate eyes. "Oliver..." she didn't know what to say, she was speechless.

Oliver shook his head and gave her a closed smile. "Even if I die, Barry will change the timeline and I will be ok. All of us will be ok."

The reassuring smile he gave her wasn't clear if it was meant to convince him more than to calm Iris' nerves. The front door shut close and everyone's eyes immediately turn to it. Everyone was on high alert until Dinah Drake stepped through. Her now more blondish hair stood out from the black suit she was wearing. The Black Canary wasn't wearing her mask though.

"I'm here. You can go now."

It had been decided that while Cisco was gone with Oliver, Killer Frost and Alex, someone needed to stay and protect Iris and the twins. Oliver had called Dinah as soon as he, Alex and Killer Frost took off to find Cisco. Dinah was the only member of team Arrow, except Oliver, that as still alive. Cisco walked to her and handed her the inter-dimensional extrapolator.

"If you see any of the Worldkillers coming here, you use this and take Iris and the twins, ok? It will take you to Earth-2. You can stay with Harry."

Dinah snatched the small device from his hand and pocketed it safely. "Don't worry. I'll keep them safe."

"Thank you for coming, Dinah." Iris thanked the Black Canary feeling beyond grateful for the woman's willingness to help.

Dinah smiled a quiet "No, problem" as Alex joined them walking down from upstairs. "Let's go."

Cisco transported them in the left wing of the Worldkillers' grand headquarters. Barry was held on the other side, but unless they wanted Reign to figure out what they were up to, they needed to draw her away from there.

" **Vibe you go and we will create a destruction.** " Killer Frost ordered as soon as their feet touched the ground.

"Someone should go with him and watch his back." The Green Arrow suggested. He didn't like the idea of Cisco wandering alone in the enemy's territory. Even if the metahuman was one of the most powerful beings on the planet, he could use the backup –especially if anything happened while he was concentrating on freeing Barry.

"Go." Alex waved with her head for Oliver to follow Vibe.

"Will you be ok?"

Alex clicked the safety on her gun. "Kryptonite bullets. You are not the only one with Aces up their sleeves." She winked at him.

" **Just go. We are wasting time.** " Killer Frost told them impatiently. " **I'm more than capable of dealing with Reign on my own.** "

Cisco rolled his eyes at her but tugged Oliver's sleeve and the two of them took off to find Barry. Caitlin turned her icy eyes on Alex. "Hide. It's going to get cold in here."

"How are we going to get Reign's attention?"

Killer Frost smirked. " **Trust me, I'm very good at drawing attention to myself. Now hide.** "

With these last words, Killer Frost raised her hands, ice coming out of her palms. In less than a minute the entire room was covered in ice. Killer Frost waved her hands making big icicles to grow from the ground. Alex decided to find a good hiding spot behind one of them and moved quickly. Alex tried to be as calm as possible. Still, her heart was beating fast in her chest, fast like a frightened puppy that was moving to a new home. She wondered if Reign could hear it beating. Killer Frost moved her fingers again creating an ice throne in the middle of the room. Alex rolled her eyes. That would piss of Reign for sure. Killer Frost smiled in satisfaction with her work. She moved towards her throne, hips swaying the way Caitlin's Snow never did. Alex looked at the new version of her friend as she sat on her throne. White hair perfectly done, her face stretched like a porcelain doll, short revealing black dress with black high heel boots that went up the knee to accompany the look and her signature trench coat. The one that made her icy look match her icy personality. Killer Frost looked like an ice queen. Alex watching her confidence radiating from her started to feel more hopeful that maybe –just maybe- this crazy plan might work.

Before Alex could think of anything else the big double doors were pushed open revealing the very familiar figure of Reign Alex had grown to hate ever since the Worldkiller had killed Kara. The redhead looked pissed and a deep frown was settled on her grey face. Alex gripped her gun tighter and aimed at the alien. _Here we go_ , she thought.

"Who are you, that dare's enter this building?" Reign's voices echoed through the walls.

Killer Frost smirked. " **Took you long enough to come.** " Her voice mocked the Worldkiller.

Reigh drew out her sword and pointed it towards her. "You don't insult me scum."

Killer Frost laughed. " **I'm not here to insult you. I'm here to tell you that** _ **I**_ **am the new queen. It's time you and your pets stepped down.** "

 _What the hell is she doing?_ Alex yelled inside her head. _Is she crazy provoking Reign?_ But then again they were trying to draw the attention to themselves to keep her away from Cisco and Oliver. Alex heard Reign growl quietly.

"You will learn to respect me." She promised Killer Frost.

Then, faster than the human eye could see Reign attacked. Killer Frost grew some icicles like the ones she had before, having predicted Reign's move. Reign hit her head in one of the icicles while another had pierced her right thigh. Caitlin got up from her throne having a determined look on her frosty face. She glared at Reign and moved her hands ready to fire.

" **Bring it on, bitch!** "

A chandelier of icicles formed above Reign and the next moment it was falling towards her.

#

 _2017_

Caitlin couldn't believe the readings she was getting from Dinah. Her sonic powers were more powerful than what they had recorded for Black Siren. She needed to practice though if she wanted to unlock the extension of her powers. Until now, Caitlin hadn't detected anything about her powers that affected her organism in a bad way. At least the current tests hadn't shown anything. Training Dinah was Cisco's job. Cait was here only to observe the woman's vitals.

"Ok, now I want you to try and change the intensity of the scream, while you hit target eight." Cisco instructed her.

Dinah turned to the man and looked confused. "Care to translate in English?"

"You know, like how singers change tones from high to lower."

Dinah pushed her lips and nodded. "I think I got it." She said turning to face the targets again.

"Do you think she can change the frequency of her sonic scream?" Cisco asked turning to Caitlin.

The doctor looked up from her tablet and frowned. "I don't know. I mean sure she can change her vocal sound, the pitch, the strength... but to control the frequency of her vibrational vocal cords? It's a long shot."

Cisco nodded looking disappointed. "We can try, though, right?" he asked hopefully.

"We could." She shrugged hating to disappoint her best friend. Cisco smiling was her favorite Cisco. "But it could take a while to see if she can do it. Why do you ask anyway?"

Cisco just grinned. "It would be so freaking cool!"

Caitlin laughed and shook her head. _That's Cisco._ And then she returned her attention to the numbers reading on her tablet.

"Alright, Dinah. This is what I want you to do now."

#

 _2024_

Cisco and Oliver walked carefully through the halls. "You know it would have been easier if I just opened a portal there." Cisco complained.

"Yes, and risk the Woldkillers having set an energy detector." The Green Arrow hissed.

Cisco greeted his teeth. He hated it when Oliver was right and he wasn't. "Are you sure we aren't lost?" he asked. "I think we have passed this hall before."

Oliver looked at the map on the device on his arm. "No. We are here. We have to get to this door." He pointed ahead of them.

Oliver got in front of Vibe and motioned with his finger to keep quiet. Cisco rolled his eyes once again. It was as if the archer thought that Cisco didn't take this mission as seriously as it was. The metahuman knew that the mission was as serious as a heart attack ( as H.R. would say). He prayed that Killer Frost and Alex had Reign's attention and kept her preoccupied. He would hate it if the alien paid them a visit. Oliver shyly checked the halls for anyone and when he verified that it was clear he motioned for Cisco to follow him. In Cisco's opinion, Oliver moved like a ninja to open the final door. He quickly followed before the man had the chance to bite his head off. As Oliver closed and secured the door, Cisco took a look around. You'd think for a prison cell, this place would be more guarded. But he guessed the Worldkillers were so self-prided that they thought it wasn't necessary. _Bad luck for them,_ he thought. _And good luck for us._

"Is this it?" he pointed at the huge enforced steel door in front of them.

"Yep." It was the only thing Oliver offered as an answer.

Vibe swallowed as he looked at the door. No pressure at all. He just had to disarm the cuffs that prevented Barry from accessing the speedforce. No big deal, he did that every day. Oh, and if he screwed up they were all dead. Yea, Cisco didn't have anything to worry about. Mark the irony.

"Take your time." Oliver hissed at him.

Cisco glared back but didn't say anything. Instead, he kneeled down and pressed his palms on the floor. Cisco licked his lips and breathed out concentrating to get the vibrations in his hands right. Then he was pushing these vibrations out of his palms directing them towards the floor. He wasn't planning on opening a hole. Instead, the vibrations traveled across the molecules of the ground, surpassed the impenetrable door that separated them from their friend and fried the cuffs that held Barry hostage.

Alex burst through the door breathing heavily. She had blood all over her and she was holding her side. "Did you do it? Did you get him out yet?"

Oliver noticed that she was favoriting her left foot. "Cisco is doing it. What happened? Where is Cai- Killer Frost?"

Alex fell to the floor and rested her back on the cold wall. "She is holding Reign off. We battled her. She did most of the damaged, but Reign managed to get a few good shots at me. She knows you are in here and is coming right now. Caitlin is holding her off sealing the hall with ice walls."

"I'll go help her." Oliver cut her off ready to get up and aid Killer Frost.

Alex grabbed his arm before he could. "There's no time. We need to get Barry out right now. Reign is going to break through at any moment."

Just then they both heard the sound of a body dropping. Their heads snapped and they saw Barry's body figure laying down, almost looking unconscious. Cisco ran to his friend and held him.

"Barry! It's us. Cisco and Oliver and Alex. Even Caitlin is here. We got you, man, you're ok."

"Cisco..?" the speedster managed to say weakly, as he raised his green eyes to look at his best friend.

As soon as he realized that it was, in fact, Cisco he relaxed. Oliver crawled by his side and hugged the man. The older man felt tears filling his eyes, but he tried not to let them fall. It wasn't the right time.

"There's not much time left. Caitlin can't keep Reign away for much longer. You have to run Barry."

The speedster now on sitting position looked confused at the archer. "What are you talking about? Cisco is going-"

"I'm not transporting us out of here." Vibe said before Barry could finish his sentence. "You have to leave. Now."

"We thought about it Barry and we have no choice but to change the timeline. The world is ending. This was never a retrieve mission. Reign is probably going to come right through these doors and kill us all. You need to go back and warn our past selves about the Worldkillers so we can change this future."

Barry was now looking at Oliver with a serious expression. "You want me to time travel. To change the past." He said coldly. "How could you? You know what happened last time when I created Flashpoint." He yelled upset that he was asking him to do this. "I made a vow to never time travel for a reason, Oliver. There are consequences to time travel. Bad consequences."

"It can't be worse than how the world already is." Oliver argued back. "Here." He pulled out Iris' letter and tossed it at him.

Barry picked it up and unfolded it carefully, before reading it.

Killer Frost entered the room looking exhausted. "This is it. Our last defense." She said as she covered the door with a thick layer of ice. Her eyes traveled to Barry, who was reading the letter his wife wrote. With long strides, she kneeled down next to him and produced three long needles from her coat, before sticking them in Barry's side. The man cried out loud.

"What the hell?"

" **You have been drained from your energy for years and we couldn't bring any food. So I gave you some adrenalin shots.** " She explained emotionless.

Iris's letter fell from his hand as he looked at his friend. Of course, Barry didn't know that Caitlin had become Killer Frost again, or any other details for the others. But now looking at her he realized that maybe the world was as dark as Iris had described. A few tears fell down his cheeks as he replayed his wife's words in his head. How he missed her and the kids. He wanted to see them right away. But Iris had specifically forbidden him from doing so. _I know the first thing you'll want to do is come and see us. But you can't. You need to do this Barry, you have to save us all. That is your priority. If you don't, it won't matter because it will be too late. This reality can no longer continue to exist Barry. You have to go back, you have to warn us. Make a better future for Don and Dawn. And when you come back, everything will be better and we'll have as much time with our kids as we want._

Barry wiped his eyes and looked around at the familiar faces. For his kids. For his wife. "Alright." He said finally. For his family. Cisco and Oliver, Alex and Caitlin and whoever had survived were his family and he needed to protect them. "But you have to go right now. Cisco."

Vibe nodded fast, getting on his feet. He extended his hand and a breach was created. Oliver helped Alex on her feet and walked towards the portal. "Save us all, Barry." The archer told him.

Alex smiled at Barry. "Save my little sister." She begged weakly. Then they walked through the breach and disappeared.

"You might want this." He heard Cisco say.

Vibe tossed him a small shiny thing. Barry caught it in his palm and saw that it was his Flash ring. The one that carries his suit inside. Barry grinned at his best friend. "Thanks." He turned his attention to Killer Frost. "Thanks for coming, Caitlin."

" **It's good to see you again, Barry.** " She said softly.

A loud bang alerted all of them. Their heads turned to see Reign standing in front of them after having broken the door, looking more bloody and pissed than ever.

"Go!" Barry yelled as Caitlin and Cisco fell through the breach, which immediately closed.

Barry didn't stick around for a chit-chat. Instead, he ran, breaking through a window. He extended his hand that was wearing the Flash ring and his red suit came out. When Barry's feet touched the ground he was fully Flash-suited. _How I've missed you!_ He thought about the suit. Yellow electricity filled his eyes and then he took off. Barry knew that Reign was running after him, but he was the Flash, the fastest man alive. It didn't matter how super human fast Reign was, no one could outrun him. _Man, it has been a while._ Barry felt the need to stretch his legs as he ran. It felt good to be able to use his speed again. "Faster Barry." He encouraged himself. And he ran faster until a breach opened and he entered the speedforce. Barry stopped when he was inside the familiar place that was surrounded by lighting. He closed his eyes and focused on himself, his past self. Once he knew which time's version of himself he wanted, he reached to him.

" _Barry!"_


	18. The new Legends

Chapter 18

Felicity's apartment had a faint, musty smell when she and Oliver entered. They had only been gone for a couple of days, but the place had managed to acquire the unpleasant odor. They were both beat, though. Battling an evil, secret organization was exhausting, even when you had the best back-up. Felicity placed her purse on the kitchen table and purred a glass of water.

"I'm going to call Thea tomorrow. Can you contact Roy?" Oliver asked leaning on the table.

Felicity drunk the whole glass of water and then placed it on the counter licking her lips before she spoke. "I can find him." She said with conviction. "But...are you sure that it's the right thing for them to do? I know why you want me to find Roy and why you want to speak to Thea." She gave him a knowing look.

Oliver sighed rubbing his tired eyes. "Roy has been on the run because of me for so long. He can't have a life because he protected my secret identity. He can't keep doing that, it needs to stop. This is an opportunity for Roy to start fresh."

Felicity nodded understanding the current of Oliver's thoughts. "And Thea?"

That was a little harder to answer. "Thea is...lost. She told me she left because she needed to find herself. But that is who the Legends are. They are a bunch of people who don't belong, who need to find their place in the world and themselves. Sara told me how she found purpose being on this team and you know how broken she was after Laurel resurrected her using the Lazarus pit. I want that for Thea."

Felicity walked to him and took his hand into her smaller one. With the other hand, she stroked his hair lovingly. "Can you really do it, Oliver? She is your little sister. Can you just let her board into a time ship and wave her goodbye?"

Oliver rested his head on Felicity's chest. Then he let out a big breath. "It's going to be hard." He admitted at last. "But I want my sister to be happy more than I need her by my side. Truth be told, Thea doesn't need me. She is capable of protecting herself, more than I ever was." Oliver looked up at Felicity and smiled at her lovingly. "I'll be ok. I will have you to help me deal with it."

Felicity smiled back at him. She kissed his forehead and nodded. "You are damn right." Then all of a sudden she looked nervous. "It's late and we are tired, you more than me. And you have to be in the Mayor's office early in the morning. So, you want to stay here tonight?" she asked shyly. "I mean because it's a long way to your place and-"

"Felicity." Oliver stopped her blabbing. "I'll stay. Thanks for offering."

Felicity smiled brightly at his words. "Great!" she almost squealed. "I'll go prepare the guest room."

"It's fine, Felicity. I can do it on my own. I've lived here before." Oliver laughed.

"I'll help."

#

Iris pushed her plate away as Barry pushed his tenth that night. He hadn't enjoined a meal like that in a long time. His stomach felt completely full finally. Barry often felt guilty eating so much around Iris when he knew she tried hard to maintain her perfect body. It was the reason why he usually sufficed his speedster hunger before he made it home. Barry was sure that Iris didn't have a problem with him eating so much in front of her, but Barry still didn't want to put her in any kind of disposition. They were both happy that way. They both wiped their mouths and Iris smiled at him.

"You outdid yourself. The lasagna was amazing Barr."

Barry smiled sheepishly at her. "I needed that." He rubbed his belly and chuckled, making Iris laugh along with him. "All this time stuck in the speedforce I missed quality food."

Iris stared at him. "You could eat in there?" the journalist still didn't understand how the speedforce worked. From what she had seen when she had gone inside to bring Barry back the speedforce looked like a lightning storm, but Barry had said that it could manifest as familiar places.

Barry made a face. "No." he said flatly. "You know, food wasn't the only thing I missed while I was in there." In a flash of lightning, the table was clean and Barry was standing in front of Iris with a lustful look in his eyes. He raised his hand and caressed her face lovingly. "You know, the only thing that kept me from going crazy in the speedforce was you. I thought about you every second and I kept telling myself "As long as I remember Iris I'll be ok.". And guess what? It worked. Because the next thing I know, I'm getting thrown out of the speedforce and to you. I missed you, Iris."

He kissed her tenderly. Iris couldn't move, her body felt numb with the love Barry was sending her way. She kissed him back a little more forceful, but let him keep control of the kiss. Barry licked her lips and Iris opened her mouth for him to enter his tongue. A million different flavors sparked inside her mouth as their tongues touched. Iris felt like she was going to explode from pleasure. And they hadn't even got to the good part yet. Soon their kiss turned more passionate and needy. They made love multiple times that night. Barry was slow, wanting to pay much attention to every inch of Iris' body. He wanted her to know how much he truly loved her, that she was the only one for him, that she meant the Multiverse to him. Iris wanted to yell at him for taking his sweet time. He was the fastest man alive, Iris needed him to go faster. Barry ignored her, though, claiming that they had time for quick sex later. She was still rewarded though. Iris' eyes rolled in the back of her head as Barry vibrated inside her. Iris lost count of how many times she had orgasmed, but when they stopped, they both fell boneless to a peaceful sleep in each other's arms.

Barry opened his eyes after hearing his name being called. The first thing he saw was that he was surrounded once again by the familiar lightning storm of the speedforce. His stomach turned unpleasantly at the thought that he was in here again. He was sure that he had gotten out. Was being with his friends and family again an illusion, a sick hallucination? Then he saw something else inside the storm. It was a man in a red suit, a Flash. The speedster was wearing the same outfit he saw his future self wear when he had traveled to 2024. As the man came closer, the storm calmed down and their surrounding took the appearance of Barry's crime lab at CCPD. The speedster lowered his cowl revealing the face of an older Barry Allen.

"Barry we need to talk."

Barry socked stared at his double with a mixture of emotions, still not understanding how he got there. Barry wasn't completely sure if he was dreaming. He had to be, right? He turned his head taking in his surroundings, looking for, what, he didn't know. Maybe something out of place to verify that this was, in fact, a dream. He had read somewhere that the brain puts things out of order as a failsafe, so if the dream was too much the person could have a way to get out. Barry wasn't sure how much he believed that theory, no matter he couldn't find anything wrong. Realizing that this was real and not a dream, he turned and looked at his future self.

"How did I get here?" he asked, his voice shaking a little.

"I pulled you here." Future Flash's words were short as much as his face neutral. "You are sleeping right now back in 2017. Only your mind is here."

Younger Barry gasped in shock. So he was dreaming after all. "I..."

"It's one of the abilities you'll learn in the future." Older Barry smiled faintly. Seeing the look on his younger self's face he shook his head. "I can't teach you how to do that. And neither to tell you when you will learn this skill." He gave him a stern look.

 _Right, time travel._ You can't mess with the past if you don't want your future to be screwed up. Barry smiled like a dork at the rhyme. Cisco would have liked it. But then he remembered that his future self was talking to him. Why would he do that, when he knows the risks of time travel? And who the hell did they end up inside the speedforce?

"How are you doing this?"

Older Barry looked amused at his confusion. "All speedsters are connected through the speedforce. When a speedster's feelings are high, the speedforce get's disrupted and it affects the other speedsters connected to it. It is how a speedster can sense when another one is in trouble, or hurt, or sad, or...other things." He explained. "But you and I are the same person and the speedforce is a place that past, present and future exist all at the same time. So I can just focus on a version of myself and I can communicate with them. I'm afraid that's all I can say, I have already told you too much."

Younger Barry nodded lightly, trying to stomach all the new information he was given. But it didn't answer one question.

"Why did you want to talk to me?"

"Because I want to make the future I come from a better place. I'm here to warn you."

Barry sucked in a deep breath. "You know you can't do that." He accused his older self.

The other one nodded almost shamefully. "I know. Which is why I didn't time travel in the first place. The problem with speedsters time traveling is that they break the space-time continuum, not the alterations they create. That's the real reason behind the Time Wraiths. They protect reality."

He paused to see if his younger version is following him. Older Barry moved towards one of the desks the speedforce had manifest and sat on top of it. Then, he motioned with his head to the other Barry to follow his example. 2017 Barry was a little hesitant but did as he was directed. When he took a seat opposite to himself, older Barry sighed.

"I didn't want to do it. Oliver and Cisco said that there was no other way to prevent..." he suddenly stopped talking and younger Barry realized that he had almost revealed something critical.

"I find it difficult to believe that Cisco wanted you to time travel." He admitted.

"I was shocked as well. But there was little to no time for me to decide and after reading Iris' letter...I had to do it. But I refused to time travel. We made that promise for a reason. That's why I decided to warn you this way and not risk breaking the space-time continuum even more."

"What made you go through with Oliver and Cisco's plan?"

"I had to protect my children."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, older Barry shucked in a breath and bit his lip hard. He shouldn't have said that. Why was he so careless? Barry cursed at himself and his inability to keep his mouth shut. Younger Barry was looking at him with wide eyes. The expression on his face was more bombshell than ever.

"Me and Iris have children?" he asked quietly.

He could see the hesitation on his older self's face. He knew that he shouldn't know that. Future Barry had revealed a very big detail about his future. A detail that could cause tragic alterations to the timeline. But the cat was out of the bag now, so he slowly nodded his head. It was younger Barry's time to shuck in a deep breath.

"Can't you do anything?" he asked desperately.

"No, there's nothing. It's too late now. Which is why I'm warning you. The only thing I can tell you is that they are called 'Worldkillers'. You have to start searching for them immediately and you have to stop them before they gain their full powers."

"And if we don't?"

Older Barry looked sad at his younger self. "If you don't then it's game over. For everything." Both Barrys stared at each other for a moment, before the older got up to his feet. "Remember the word 'Worldkillers'. That's the only clue I can give you. Good luck."

Barry Allen woke up breathing heavily, sweat covering him for head to toe. "Babe?" Iris questioned as she crawled next to him concerned about him and a little disoriented from the sleep.

Barry looked around in the dark room trying to locate her with his eyes. His breathing was still heavy. Iris put her arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her. She kissed his head and rested her cheek on top of it.

"What's going on?" she asked him quietly.

Barry tried to take control over his breathing and calm himself before he replied to her. "I either had a hard case of weird dreaming or I just had a conversation with my future self." He murmured into the curve of her neck. Iris' embrace was snug and warm, but most of all it was homey and that was all Barry required to find the peace within.

It took a lot of effort from Iris to not suck in a breath –for Barry's sake. Talking to your future self in a dream was another kind of weird. But weird was just another day for their family. Iris caressed his face with the back of her hand, tracing the edge of Barry's hairline to his jaw and back again.

"Maybe it was just a dream and nothing more." He spoke again, his voice under control now. "Maybe we don't have to worry about it."

Not even in his ears did he sound like he believed it. Iris licked her lips and held a sigh she desperately wanted to let out.

"Coincidences don't happen to us." She said, her voice laced with sorrow. "Don't get me wrong, I really hope you are right and we don't have anything to worry about."

"But we should look into it anyway, just in case." He finished for her.

"Yea..."

Barry sighed and moved out of his fiancée embrace. He laid back onto the mattress and dragged Iris down to cuddle, with her head resting on his chest. Barry left a feather-like kiss on her temple as he drew small circles on her shoulder.

"I'll bring it up to the others this afternoon. We are supposed to meet at Jitter. Oliver and J'onn are bringing people to stand in for Sara, Ray, Jax and Stain. Then the new Legends will take off."

#

The next morning Oliver arrived at the Mayor's office accompanied by Sara. The White Canary wanted to surprise her father at work. Sara's nerves were a mess as they walked through the hallway. She hadn't seen her father in over a year. Last time she saw him they were visiting Laurel's grave together, where she told him that she would continue being part of the Legends because it was what her sister would have wanted. Now the woman was anxious to see him again. She really didn't know what to say to the man when she sees him.

Quentin Lance was talking to Rene when there was a knock on his office's door.

"Come in." he said with a strong voice.

The door opened and Oliver Queen popped his head from the opening. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Quentin, there's someone here to see you. You can have the day off."

Sara appeared from behind Oliver. Quentin almost teared up from the sock. "Sara?"

"Hi, daddy." Sara grinned and moved to hug her father.

"Oh, I hope you're sticking around for a few days."

Sara laughed. "Don't worry, I'll be staying for a while."

After a long embrace, Quentin broke free and cleared his throat before turning to Rene. "Rene, can you-"

"I've got you covered here, Hoss." Rene spoke before Quentin could finish.

The older man glared at Rene for his nickname –one that Rene ignored as usual. Quentin sighed and then smiled at his daughter.

"Ok, then. Let's get out of here."

"Do you mind if we go visit Laurel?" Sara asked cautiously.

"I wouldn't want anything else."

#

Jitters had been more busy than normal recently. Barry and Cisco grabbed the Flashes they had ordered and joined Iris, Caitlin, Amaya and Nate. Sara and Ray had gone back to Star City with Oliver, Felicity and company, Sara to visit her father and Ray mumbled something about 'company' that neither really understood. As for Professor Stein, he was eager to see his wife Clarissa and his daughter Lily. Jax followed his other superhero half so that he could storm Clarissa's fridge. Secretly, the young man just wanted to know more about Stein's daughter, who appeared out of nowhere in their lives.

"Coffees are here." The duo announced placing the coffees on the table.

"Isn't it weird having a drink named after you?" Amaya asked Barry bringing the mug to her lips. Then a pleasurable sound came out of her mouth. "This is really good, actually."

Barry laughed. "It took some getting used to. But I still can't figure out how there's a beverage after one of my greatest enemies."

Nate choked. "You what?"

"Yea. I mean why would anyone want to buy a coffee named 'Zoom'?"

"It's not like the guy destroyed more than half the city, terrorized and killed more people than I can count and let an army of metahumans to wreck havoc in this city?" Cisco questioned sarcastically.

"It is rather odd." Amaya admitted.

Both men raised their eyebrows as if to question her. Then Barry caught sight of J'onn entering the coffee shop accompanied by a woman. Barry raised his left hand and waved at J'onn. The Martian noticed them and putting his hand on M'gann's back he made his way over there.

"Hello, how is everyone?" J'onn spoke politely.

A series of "Hello's" were exchanged after that and warm smiles. M'gann waved shyly from next to J'onn and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm M'gann."

"Nice to meet you M'gann, I'm Amaya. Grab a 'Flash' and let's talk." The woman smiled warmly at the alien.

"The 'Flash' ha?" M'gann chuckled awkwardly, while J'onn gave Barry a side look.

The Flash himself shrugged and drunk from his decaf coffee.

"So, M'gann." Iris started the conversation. "What can you do?"

M'gann cleared her throat and looked around nervously. "I-i-"

"She is a Martian, like me." J'onn decided to help her.

Iris' smile widened. "Oh, that's great." She exclaimed catching M'gann by surprise. "So, you can like shape sift and stuff like that?"

"Yea, I guess."

"That's really cool." Nate told her. "I turn into steel."

"We can talk all about our powers on the Waverider. So, what made you decide to join our group?" Amaya turned the conversation back to M'gann.

The White Martian drunk from her coffee just to stall. Despite her reasons, she found the beverage quite pleasant. She thought that it would be nice for the hero, whose name is after, to know that. It would be more than awkward if it tasted like crap.

"To be honest it took a lot of thought to make this decision and I would like to know more about what you do and who you operate."

"We'll be happy to do that." Amaya assured her.

"M'gann's people are after her and they won't stop until they get her." J'onn explained.

"Why are they after her?" Barry asked frowning.

M'gann carefully placed her mug on the coffee table and pushed her lips, before taking a breath. "There are two types of Martians. The green and the white." She glanced at J'onn for reassurance. "The White Martians, my people, are a cruel race that seek to destroy all Green Martians. But I refused to live like that any longer and found refuge on Earth. Unfortunately, they tracked me down and they have been sending others after me."

"That's awful." Caitlin commended feeling sorry for the young woman.

M'gann gave her a small smile. "So, what can you tell me about this time-traveling adventure?"

"Should we wait for Oliver to arrive?" Cisco asked.

Barry shook his head. "No. Oliver just texted me that they will be late and we should all meet at the hangar."

"Ok, then. I'll start." Nate clapped his hands excitedly.

Amaya put her hand over his to stop his excitement. "Don't you forget that Sara put me in charge?"

Nate groaned loudly and his head fell in surrender, making M'gann laugh.

#

"Don't worry, Ollie. I'll be fine." Thea was trying to calm her brother later in the hangar.

" I know, but I'm always going to worry about my little sister."

"I know." The younger Queen smiled lovingly at her older brother and hugged him again.

Oliver held on to her for a while, refusing to let go. When he finally did he went up to Roy.

"Thank you for doing this for me." Arsenal said to his mentor.

Oliver shook his head and hugged the younger man. "I am the one that should be thanking you, Roy. For everything that you did for me, all the things you sacrificed. You shouldn't have to do any of it."

"It was the least I could do, Oliver. You saved my life...and I saved yours."

Oliver smiled at him. "Good man." He shook Roy's hand. "Take care of yourself. And do me a favor."

"I'll look after her."

"Come on guys, let's go." Amaya shouted.

Thea, Roy and M'gann waved at their people one more time and boarded on the Waverider. And just like that, the new Legends were off.


	19. Future Problems

Chapter 19

"Wait! Stop! Wait!" Someone shouted at the top of their lungs, as the Waverider raised ready to take off.

The inhabitants that weren't on the time-ship turned surprised at the sound of the yell startled and confused. Curtis and Rene were running towards them as fast as their legs could carry them. The Waverider landed again and the gate opened. Amaya stepped out, looking a confused as everyone else.

"What's wrong?"

Rene and Curtis came to a stop breathing heavily from the running. Rene held his side, feeling plain explode just underneath his ribcage. God, how long has it been since the last time he had worked out?

"I'm coming too." Curtis stated as a matter of fact.

Felicity and Oliver frowned. "You are what?" they asked together in high pitched voices to match their surprise.

"I am going with the Legends too." The man said firmly.

"But why?" Felicity all but pouted.

"Hell if I know." Rene replied seaming a little ticked off. "He just came up to me and demanded that I take him here. He even made me carry his stupid equipment."

Curtis glared at him. "It's not stupid, Rene. If you can't understand the value of my things, don't open your mouth-"

"Curtis." Oliver stopped the man. "Why did you decide so suddenly that you want to leave? I just don't understand?"

Felicity nodded furiously her head from next to him. Curtis sighed, looking at his friends. "Well, I figured that with Ray staying behind, their team is going to miss a technician. And honestly, between Felicity, Cisco and Ray and Jax and Winn, I am not really needed here."

Oliver frowned hearing his words. He didn't like the sound of it. It made him feel like he somehow had made Curtis feel unworthy. "Curtis, you are always needed." He said smoothly. "If I have ever made you feel less about your worth, or your offerings to the team I-" but before he could continue Curtis stopped him.

"Oliver. That's not it. Like at all."

"Then why are you leaving us?" Felicity was sorrowful as she spoke.

Curtis could feel everyone's eyes on him. Rene's, who's even though he was not judgmental, it was the hardest. Oliver's, who was still trying to understand his decision. Felicity was mostly sad. And everyone else, Barry, J'onn, Amaya, they were trying to stay out of the four people's conversation, as if they could somehow turn into ghosts and the others wouldn't be able to see them. Curtis refrained from sighing once again. His attention turned to his hands, as he played with his long fingers. It didn't matter that he didn't want to acknowledge it, the others could still see him and they weren't letting it go. They wanted an explanation. Curtis raised his head and looked at the three members of his team in the eyes.

"Paul send me the divorce papers." He admitted his voice breaking as he spoke his husband's name. Rene bit his lip, feeling awful for his friend. Curtis' eyes watered but he refused to let the tears spill. "And I just..I..." he breathed. "I just can't be there anymore. Everything reminds me of him. Our house, the streets I walk every day, the buildings..."

Felicity felt her heart breaking for him. For as long as she has known Curtis, the man was the kindest, sweetest most generous person she has met. All the times they had joked together, the rumbles about geeky stuff, she could only talk to him about. Curtis understood her like no one else. He understood her personality and her intelligence. And even though there were no romantic feelings between the two of them, Felicity cared for Curtis like the brother she never had.

Oliver felt sorry for the man too. He might not be connected to him as much as Felicity and sometimes he might get annoyed him and most definitely rarely understood what he was talking about, but he was a part of his team. Oliver and Curtis and the rest of them had gone through so much together. They had fought together, they had bled together, they had lost and won together. So yes, Oliver felt sorrow for the unfortunate turn of Curtis' life. And unfortunately, he couldn't do much to help him. He couldn't find Paul and beat him until he returned to his husband. Actually, he could, but he doubted Curtis –or Felicity- would appreciate that.

"Do you think that joining the Legends will help you heal?" he asked.

Curtis nodded his head. "I wouldn't be here, Oliver, if I didn't think so."

Oliver pressed his lips in a thin line and then nodded in return. "You know what is best for you. I'm not going to pressure you to stay if you don't feel comfortable being here. But I want you to know that you can come back whenever you want. You'll always have a place with us and we are going to miss you."

Curtis, feeling a little emotional from Oliver's heartwarming words nodded smiling brightly. "Thank you, Oliver. I appreciate it and I'm going to miss you all too."

"So you are just leaving us?" Felicity asked with a shaking voice and teary eyes.

"Felicity I..." Curtis sighed.

The blonde didn't let him finish. She enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm going to miss you so much." She whispered.

When, after a while, she let him go he turned to Rene. Wind Dog gave him his hand. Even though he didn't like to admit it Rene had grown to like Curtis and care for him. "I hope you didn't plan on leaning without saying goodbye." He teased him.

Curtis chuckled and shook his hand. "I already called Diggle and said my goodbyes. I'm going to call Dinah now to let her know."

"Take care, man."

"You too. Ok." He breathed and turned to face the rest of the people. "Anybody care to help me carry my stuff inside?"

Rene shook his head. "Not me man. Ain't gonna happen."

Before Curtis could come up with a smart reply, a flash of lightning went and came from their vision. Barry clapped his hands in front of the Waverider looking pleased with himself.

"I didn't know where he will be sleeping, so I left the staff in the main room." He told Amaya. "Is that ok?"

"That's fine." She assured him.

"Ok, great. So, I guess this is really goodbye."

They all watched as the Waverider took off in the sky and then disappeared from their eyes. The hangar was left in absolute silence for the next few moments until a few sighs echoed in the place.

"Look." it was Barry who broke the silence. "I, uh, have something to tell all of you. Can you come to STAR labs, Cisco has already called Kara to meet us there."

Oliver frowned. "Is everything alright?"

Barry sighed looking at the archer. "I'm not entirely sure."

"Can I ask why I interrupted my quality time with my father, who I haven't seen in a long time, to rush over here?" Sara was sitting against the wall with her arm crossed over her chest.

She had just returned with her father from visiting her sister's grave and Quentin had started preparing lunch. Then she had gotten a call from Oliver to get ready to come to STAR labs, because Barry wanted to inform all of them regarding a development. That was the only warning she got because ten minutes later Barry sped into Quentin Lance's apartment and grabbed her and her bag of change clothes, with nothing more than a "Hello, nice to see you" to Quentin.

Barry sighed looking at his friends scattered on their feet. The cortex was crowded once again. They really needed to invest in a round table and some chairs for their meetings. Maybe convert one of the unused rooms into a conference room. Barry's mind drifted wondering how many rooms that weren't currently used were not destroyed. STAR labs was a very big facility, had many floors and even more rooms. Unfortunately, the particle accelerator explosion had destroyed more than 60 percent of the entire building. And Savitar's attempt to wipe team Flash out leveled the other 20 percent. Perhaps it was time to start rebuilding it. Now with Ray Palmer being here, he could help them and Jax could lend them a hand too. Barry and Wally could easily go to the library and read all the books related to constructing and have the place ready in a day, two days tops. Barry had done the same thing before when the singularity had destroyed more than half of Central City. He could do it again. Realizing that he had spaced out of Sara's question, Barry opened his mouth to reply.

"Before I go into detail as to why I called you here, I want to know if everything is alright in your cities. Anything weird or unusual happened?"

"Nothing unusual in National City." Kara reported. "I mean, my boss is still a jerk to me and there are those silly criminals, who still think that they can rob a bank with machine guns and that Supergirl won't stop them." She laughed, but suddenly she frowned. "Actually something weird did happen last night. I saved five jumpers and apparently all five of them attempted to jump because they wanted me to save them."

The room erupted in laughter and knowing looks were exchanged between the rest. Something like that could only happen to Kara.

"Just don't tell Mon-El." J'onn advised her chuckling.

"Or else he would hunt them down one by one and beat them to death." Sara finished the Martian's thought.

"Oh, no. I'm not doing that." The Kryptonian shook her head. "I told them that the next time they tried that, I would let them hit the pavement. But I don't think that was what you meant by 'weird'."

Barry shook his head smiling brightly. "No, not what I meant, but your story was still entertaining. What about you Oliver?"

The Green Arrow shook his head too. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

Oliver was curious as to why Barry was asking them this. The speedster looked troubled with something. Oliver couldn't think of anything particular that would spook the younger man. The only other time Oliver had seen that look on Barry's face, the speedster had told him that he had traveled back in time from when Vandal Savage had killed them all. Oliver frowned alarmed. Sure it wasn't a similar case now too, was it?

"Ok, cool." Barry rubbed his hands together anxiously. "Ok, so, um, what I wanted to say...eh, I mean...uh.." he rubbed the back of his neck looking around him worriedly. "There's no easy way to say this and, uh.."

"Barry." Oliver got Barry's attention. "You mind getting to the point?"

"Yea, right." The speedster mumbled seaming to get his words together. "So, um, I may or may not have received a warning from my future self last night...in my sleep."

Barry held his breath as he waited for everyone's reaction. Oliver cursed under his breath.

"I know I'm a smart woman, but I need you to repeat that." Felicity told Barry looking at him with widened eyes ready to pop out.

Barry sighed and run his hand over his face giving a desperate look to those around him. The experience was weird even to him and he had to convince the others that what he saw was real – when he wasn't sure himself.

"Apparently in the future, I learn how to contact other versions of myself through the speedforce, because according to my future self all speedsters are connected through it. Anyway, he told me that he had to warn us about a future threat and the only clue he could give me is that they are called 'Worldkillers'."

"Worldkillers." J'onn tested the name on his tongue.

"It doesn't sound very friendly." Kara frowned making a cringle appear between her eyes.

"More like a name associated with an end-of-the-world scenario." Sara agreed.

"And you saw that in your dream?" Felicity asked wanting to verify it one more time.

Barry nodded his head. "Look, guys, I know it sounds crazy. I'm not even sure one hundred percent that it was real, but it felt real. And I think it's worth a shot at figuring out for certain. What if we brush it aside and ends up to be something huge? I don't- I'm not willing to take the risk."

"Well, I don't know what 'Lord of the rings' or 'Star Wars' movies you and Cisco are watching lately." Oliver gained a glare from Cisco for his comment. "But I don't think your imagination is that wild to be making a name like that up."

"And from what I know about you is that nothing is impossible." Felicity said. "So, maybe it's worth checking out. See if it leads us somewhere."

"Ok, great." Barry mumbled feeling a little better with the way things were going. "Any ideas of where to start?"

"You know, 'Worldkillers' sounds alien related." Kara said thoughtfully. "I can ask my mother's hologram if it knows anything."

Barry was nodding his head fast, happy that there was progress. He was worried that they wouldn't have anywhere to look for answers. That is if what he saw in his dream was real –which Barry, although he didn't admit it to the others, believed strongly that it was.

"And if that turns out to be a dead end we can go to your cousin's Fortress of Solitude." J'onn suggested.

"What's that?" Cisco raised an eyebrow.

"Oh!" Kara's blue eyes widened. "It's a fortress my cousin built in Antarctica that contains all of Krypton's knowledge and technology. If there's something about the Worldkillers, I'm sure we will find it there."

"That's great. Thank you, Kara. Can you and J'onn go as soon as you can?"

"We can go tomorrow." J'onn answered the speedster, who nodded his head in return.

"Thank you."

"What about the rest of us?" Sara asked Barry.

"Well." The speedster rubbed his neck. "Until Kara and J'onn come back with more information, we can't do anything more. I was thinking though, that maybe we can repair the rest of STAR labs. I have a feeling we are going to need the extra space."

"What about training?" Oliver asked this time.

"Yes. Training. I was thinking about that too." Barry laughed awkwardly. "Sara I want you to be our trainer."

"Me?" "You want her?" Sara and Oliver asked at the same time.

Barry stared blankly at the archer. "Yes, Oliver. Sara has gone through the League of Assassins' training twice and there's no way I'm letting you train me again."

Oliver scowled at him. "Barry you have to let it go at some point."

"Never." He stared at him challenging. "You can be the field general." He smiled. "Sara will handle the training and you the battles. Of course, you have to study how everyone operates before you start training us together." He turned his attention to the White Canary. "And Cisco and I can handle the training of the superpowers separately. Which brings me to..." Barry looked over at his best friend, ignoring the weird look Cisco sent in his way. Once he had started talking, he couldn't stop. "How did the testing go with Dinah? And where is she?" he asked not seeing the woman amongst them.

"All her vitals are perfectly fine when she is using her powers." Caitlin started her report. "Cisco and I tested the range of her sonic powers and the results are amazing. The power levels of the Canary Cry seem to be higher than those of Black Siren, though I found that it tires her very quickly." Caitlin took a breath before continuing. "The only other thing I noticed is that using her powers much can cause her laryngitis and eventually that can cause her to lose her voice permanently."

Felicity gasped. "Is there anything to prevent that from happening?"

Caitlin nodded. "Yes, there is. Like I told her, she needs to exercise her vocal chords. My suggestion is that she needs to start taking vocal lessons. And she should be fine. I've let her rest in the med bay for now. The tests exhausted her."

"Thank you, Caitlin." Barry nodded.

"And her suit is nearly done." Cisco said in his turn. "I took her measures and I started working on the prototype."

"That's great, Cisco. Now, Felicity, you and Winn need to work on upgrading our security, the surveillance, the alerts. We can't risk anyone hacking us and we need to up our game regarding crime response. Work on a joint communication system that connects every one of us."

Felicity aggressively agreed, nodding her head. "You got it, Barry. I'm gonna contact Winn and start right away."

Barry satisfied with the response let his green eyes leave the blonde and travel across the cortex to every individual. He crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat. "Wally and I can start repairing STAR labs. Oliver, Sara...you can start peaking things we are going to need for the training. One chamber is going to be used for hand to hand combat another for weapons, Professor Stein I'm assuming that you and Jax require a place to practice your transmutation abilities."

"You are correct, Barry." Stein confirmed, letting Barry continue with his speech.

The scarlet speedster turned his attention to the girl of steel. "Kara is there a way to train with you without your powers?"

"Low levels of Kryptonite can make me powerless and not harm me." The Kryptonian said immediately. "When I first became Supergirl Alex used that room to train me in hand to hand combat."

Barry took her words into consideration. "While I don't doubt that your sister is badass, whatever training she gave you can never be as good as League of Assassins. We all need to train together..." Barry took a deep breath. "Even me."

"I'm sorry." Caitlin's voice suddenly interrupted. "Kryptonite can harm you." She more than stated.

Kara nodded her head. "Yes. But when it's low in power it doesn't, only takes my powers. It allows me to train with humans and..." Kara bit her lip looking shyly from under her eyelashes. "I feel human. Sometimes I need that."

But the doctor was furiously shaking her head. "No. Absolutely not. I can't believe your sister did this to you. As a doctor herself she should have known better. This substance is hurting you for a reason, Kara. It's not good for you. As a doctor, I cannot allow you to continue doing this."

The whole room fell silent. Caitlin was still shaking her head, not believing that a fellow scientist in her field of expertise could make such a mistake. Kara felt her cheeks heating up slightly. She opened her mouth to speak, to defend her sister. For a moment she stood agape not knowing what to say. She finally settled with: "But it doesn't hurt and-"

"It doesn't matter if it hurt's or not." Caitlin cut her off. "Kryptonite is bad for you regardless if you can feel it hurting you. I'm sorry but I can't let you develop some kind of Kryptonian cancer." She continued shaking her head. "I'm sorry but there has to be another way to depower you. Your powers obviously come for the sun. Did people on Krypton have powers there too?"

Still taken aback from Caitlin's parade over her, Kara stared at the doctor dumbstruck. "Um, no." she mumbled. "Krypton had a Red Dwarf star for a sun." thinking back to Slaver's Moon, Kara continued with more conviction this time. "I don't have my powers under a red Sun."

Before Caitlin could start talking again, Barry took the lead. "Professor Stein, Ray. You think you can replicate red Sun radiation?"

"We can certainly try." Stein agreed immediately.

"We'll get right on it, Barry." Ray said too.

"That's great. Cisco I know you are busy with the Black Canary suit, but can you lend them a hand when you are finished?"

Vibe nodded. "Of course."

"What about the rest of us?" Jax asked.

Barry sighed and combed his hair with his long fingers. "Until Kara and J'onn come back with more information we can't do anything more. Go home, do what you normally do and I'll call for another meeting as soon as we have more news."

And with these last words, the meeting was over.

Sara walked through the halls of STAR labs in search for Caitlin She found the bioengineer in the speed lab, sitting by the stairs on the side. She had a thoughtful look on her face, as Sara waked closer making her presence known to the woman.

"Hey." Caitlin greeted with her sweet voice.

"Hey, back." Sara gave a curt wave with her hand and sat beside Caitlin.

"So, how did you find Barry's message-from-the-future briefing?" the brunette asked, folding and unfolding her fingers.

Sara groaned. " I have to say, all of it is a little..."

"Unsettling?" Caitlin smiled arching an eyebrow.

"Yes." Sara chuckled and Caitlin joined her.

"So, what brings you to this part of the lab?"

"I was looking for you actually. I wanted to talk to you."

"You did? For what?"Caitlin asked confused.

"Barry and Cisco told us about...Killer Frost."

The doctor sucked in a breath. It was always a bad reminder, her other self. But before she could think of anything to say, Sara spoke again.

"Listen, we all agreed that we don't care about that. What's in the past, is in the past. All we can do s move forward. But..." Sara paused for a moment looking for the right way to put her thoughts in words. "I've been in a somewhat similar situation."

"You mean, you turn into an ice killing machine who tried to kill it's best friends repeatedly?" Caitlin laughed humorlessly.

The White Canary shook her head lightly. "No. But, I've still been consumed by bloodlust and trust me it's not fun at all."

"You mean when you came back from the dead." Caitlin mumbled understanding.

"Yes." She nodded. "It took a lot of effort to get over the bloodlust. And one thing this messed up situation taught me is that you can't fear what you want to fight. I was terrified and disgusted with myself. I thought I was a monster. Killer Frost works the same way. Just because you have repressed her doesn't mean that you have defeated her or that she won't come back." Caitlin opened her mouth to speak, but Sara raised a hand to stop her. "Just listen for a second. You have to top fearing her Caitlin. If you stop, she won't have any more control over you. And only then it's going to be over."

"How am I going to do that?" Caitlin whispered almost afraid to ask.

Sara pierced her blue eyes into Caitlin. "You have to learn to control your powers. Learn to navigate her. When you stop being afraid of them, you stop being afraid of Killer Frost. And Killer Frost goes away." Sara got on her feet and looked at Caitlin from above. "I can help you take control of your life. Think about it. When you are ready, come and find me.


	20. Leaderships

Chapter 20

"Wait, Kara, hey. Can I talk to you for a second?" Barry asked the blond Kryptonian as the group was dismissed.

Kara gave her friend a quizzing look with her blue eyes, but other than that she willingly stayed behind as the others walked out of the door. Cisco was going to send Oliver, Felicity, Dina, and Rene back to Star City and she saw Sara disappear in the halls of the lab. As for J'onn, he was going to wait for Cisco to transport the vigilantes first and then he planned on asking for a ride himself. Kara actually felt a tingle of guilt and worry for the long-haired man. Cisco wasn't a doorman, using his abilities required effort.

"Yea, sure. What's up?" she asked cheerfully as always. But Barry didn't reciprocate her glee.

"Do you mind if we go for a run first?" he asked a little cautious.

Kara frowned a little but shrugged nonetheless. "Sure. It'll be fun, like last time right." She giggled. "I'm used to flying so, it'll be different."

Without further thinking, the Girl of Steel and the Scarlet Speedster took off from STAR labs and into the night streets of Central City. Barry felt the wind blowing across his face as he ran a little below the speed of sound. The hero refrained from going above three hundred miles per hour unless there was an emergency. He felt bad for all the people needing to replace their broken windows every time the Flash run to apprehend a criminal. The least he could do was to respect that when there isn't any danger. It's not like the insurances cover collateral damage from speeds faster than the sound. Barry felt Kara running next to him and he turned to look at her. The blonde grinned at him and then turned her attention ahead.

Kara was used to the feeling of flying hundreds of miles above the ground. It was a sensation she couldn't quite describe with words. She felt liberated, free. When she was flying Kara felt like nothing could touch her. But running felt good too. The Kryptonian, if she wanted to be honest, felt a little lazy to run and that's why she preferred flying. For her, it wasn't much of an exercise. But now that she had someone to run by her side it was fun.

Barry always went for a long run when he wanted to clear his head or to think things through. It had become an automatic mechanism. Unfortunately, sometimes running alone wasn't enough. Sure he had Wally now with super speed, but Wally wasn't exactly into the type of running Barry required. He was young and impulsive and all he wanted was to find something to make his young speedster blood boil and impress young cheerleaders. So, no, Wally wasn't the _don't-speak-and-think_ type of run. With Kara was different though. Perhaps it was because she could relate with him and understand what he needed. Barry could bet that Kara used to go on deep-thinking flights when their Earths hadn't merged yet.

Reaching the outskirts of Central City, Kara turned to Barry. "Hey, want to go to this alien bar Mon-El works at in National City?"

Barry agreed without much thought. As soon as the two super friends pashed the huge billboard that said: "Welcome TO CENTRAL CITY, home of the FLASH and KID FLASH" and the road ahead of them formed into miles of straight line without any buildings Barry and Kara looked at each other exchanging a knowing smirk and automatically accelerated to top speed.

Barry was the first one to arrive to National City, but as soon as he entered the city he slowed down and let Kara lead the way.

"Ok, fine, you won." Kara laughed as they came to a stop just outside the bar. "This time."

Barry snorted and shook his head. The smell of high levels of alcohol and smoke hit their faces as they entered the bar. Kara made a beeline across some tables preoccupied with weird looking aliens, some of known descent and some not, and reached the bar where Mon-El was currently fixing drinks.

"Hey, guys." Mon-El greeted as he spotted the two heroes nearing.

"Hey you." Kara greeted back playfully and Barry waved his hand.

"So, what brings you two here? At this hour?"

"You mean you're not happy to see your girlfriend?" Kara teased him pouting, making Barry snicker.

"No, I am happy. But seriously, what brings you guys here?"

"We went for a run and Barry looked like he needed a drink, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. Have a chat with my friend and see my boyfriend."

"I knew you were just using me." Barry joked.

Kara stuck, childishly, her tongue at him and Barry's lips curved as he tried to suppress a smile.

"Unfortunately, I can't get drunk. I lost that ability when I became a speedster."

"You haven't tried my specialty, my friend." Mon-El puffed his chest proudly. "This is not ordinary alcohol we serve here. It's specifically for aliens."

"It's very true." Kara nodded her blonde hair. "Regular alcohol has no effect on me, due to my alien physiology, but-" She raised her finger pointing at Barry. "-after I drunk one glass of this stuff I got so wasted as if I had drunk an entire river."

The boys laughed at her enthusiasm. "I wish I had seen that." Barry said.

"Man, you really should have." Mon-El agreed, giving the speedster a knowing look. "It was quite an entertaining sight."

"I can imagine." Barry snickered.

"So, how do you like your drink, sweet or sour?"

Barry frowned. The two aliens could practically see the wheels in his head turning.

"I'm not sure Caitlin would appreciate me putting in my body substances she hasn't checked out yet. Besides, metahuman isn't exactly alien."

Both Kara and Mon-El shamelessly pouted. If he hadn't known better, Barry would think that he was dealing with a pair of five years old.

"Well," Kara started looking as innocent as a devil in disguise. "You could try a few sips, and if you don't feel like it, you can stop. But I promise it's really good stuff."

"Really good stuff." Mon-El nodded his head simultaneously, quickly agreeing with his girlfriend.

"Besides," Kara continued, grinning devilishly at Barry. "What Dr. Snow doesn't know, won't hurt her."

Barry couldn't help himself and burst out laughing. "I guess you are right." He said after a little thought. It had been three years since he had been able to feel the sweet buzz that alcohol provided. The scarlet speedster could surely use some when he was facing one of his greatest enemies. The alcohol would allow him at least some relaxation from all the pressure he faced.

Mon-El rubbed his hands together excited of having convinced the speedster. "Why don't you guys talk, while I fix you your drinks?" he suggested.

The two superheroes immediately agreed, liking the idea. Barry finally could talk to Kara about what he really wanted. As soon as Mon-El moved away to fix their drinks, Kara turned and looked pointy at Barry.

"So... what's with the long face before?"

Barry sighed. It was usually very easy to talk to Kara. He felt like the Kryptonian was his sister from another life. But, unfortunately, he didn't know how to voice his troubles this time. That's why he had suggested a run. Usually, a run around Central City would help him put his thoughts in order, so he had hoped for the same thing to happen this time again. Barry tapped his fingers on the counter sighing again and again.

"I'm not good at this. Being a leader I mean." He elaborated, seeing the confused look on Kara's face. "I felt so out of place and weird when everyone expected from me to give them direction of what to do. I hated it, I wanted to crawl into the Earth and never come out." Kara opened her mouth to disagree, but Barry wasn't finished. "And I thought that we agreed that you were going to help me with this. This was a mistake. I'm not leader material, I hardly knew what to tell them all. You, on the other hand, are better and you know from working with the D.E.O. what's like to lead a big team."

Kara didn't speak at first. She was shocked to hear that Barry felt that way. Kara felt that the speedster was a great choice for a leader. Sure Oliver was the more strategically organized one, but he didn't have the skill to collaborate with the diversity of their personalities, and Sara was the Captain of the Legends, but it wasn't the same thing. And Kara really wasn't in charge of the D.E.O., J'onn was and even when they were on the field Alex was the one in command. Kara licked her lips. She needed to let Barry know all this.

"I think you are right fit for a leader. And you did really well today, despite what you said. You are new to this and you'll learn, no one is expecting you to be perfect from the start. And about the other thing, I know I said that I'd help you, that we are in this together. That still stands."

"But-" Kara gave him a look and Barry immediately let her continue.

"What I want to say is that the topic of the conversation was more in your territory, you obviously knew better of what you were talking about. And come on, it was a message from your future self. What more could I say." She chuckled and gave him a small smile, succeeding in making the man's lips curve upwards. "Regarding the actions to take, I didn't contribute because I agreed with everything you suggested, so I didn't feel the need to object or suggest something of my own."

"Really?" Barry looked like a kicked puppy, he must have really felt pressured.

Kara offered her friend a nod. "Really." She said firmly. "You did a good job. I didn't know you felt like this, but I promise you that from now on I'll be more helpful, more involved with the decisions. How do you feel about that?"

Barry actually smiled at her brightly. "That'd be great. Thank you, Kara."

"Well, you know since I'm your super friend and all." She pushed playfully at his shoulder.

Mon-El saw them giggle as he brought them their special drinks and set them on the counter. "I guarantee you haven't tasted something so good." He told Barry and waited for the speedster to taste the drink.

Kara nudged Barry, urging him to try it. Barry eyed them both carefully. He still wasn't sure if he should drink this. It could have a bad effect on him because he was a metahuman and not an alien. Finally, he decided to screw it and exhaled picking up the glass with the colorful liquid and he drunk a big sip.

#

Oliver Queen sat at a booth at Big Belly Burger in Star City. Anxious wasn't a word usually associated with him, but that's how the Green Arrow found himself feeling while waiting for William and Samantha to arrive for their scheduled meeting. Oliver tried not to play with his hangnail and instead settled to drumming his left foot rhythmically, his eyes glued on the entrance of the restaurant. The meetings between the three of them had started after the island. After William found out about Oliver's identity as the Green Arrow and as his father. Oliver didn't want to think about what happened on the island. The horror of the thought of losing everyone he held dear hunted his soul every night and every day. The pain faded slightly when he watched the faces of his friends and family, but mostly when he got to see and spent time with William. Samantha had explained to their son the reason for Oliver's absence from William's life and why he never got to know who his father was. She even showed William the video Oliver had recorded and was meant for William to see after he turned eighteen. William, for his sake, had taken the whole situation more maturely than Oliver and Samantha had dared to hope, especially regarding the traumatic way the secret was revealed to him. If William felt differently and refused to show it, both adults had failed to get him to talk.

Oliver's blue eyes lightened like every time he saw his son walk to the table he was sitting, with his mother following close behind. Oliver never thought he could love a person so much like he loved William. The archer was delighted that William insisted on meeting with him, even though Oliver had told him that it was dangerous.

"Hello, Oliver." William greeted with his small voice sitting in a chair close to Oliver.

William had yet to call Oliver his father, but he was ok with it. Oliver hadn't earned the tittle yet, he felt. The Mayor greeted both his son and Samantha in return. The woman offered him a polite smile like always and his name barely left her lips.

"I thought I was going to meet Felicity today." William frowned at the lack of the female presence.

Samantha eyed Oliver questionably too. Although she had already met Oliver's...love...friend...special someone? William hadn't and after Oliver spoke so fondly of her, the younger boy had asked to meet her.

Oliver smiled sympathetically at William. "I'm sorry, buddy, but Felicity and I are still working some things between us and we both agreed that it would be better for the two of you to meet when we have everything figured out."

William frowned and then shrugged his shoulders. "It's alright, I guess." His voice sounded small yet again.

"Are you sure?" Oliver questioned feeling bad for disappointing him.

William nodded his head positive and smiled a little.

Samantha brushed her son's brown hair lovingly. "Why don't you tell Oliver how your day at school was?" she suggested.

Oliver gave her a grateful look. Even though he had met William more than a dozen times, it was still hard for him to start a conversation. The awkwardness of being his father but not his dad always got in the way of Oliver's words. William shrugged once again.

"School was ok, I guess. Our English teacher got sick so we missed class." Oliver smiled thinking back to the days when he-as a student- rejoiced days like that. "But our science teacher gave us a tone of assignments." He groaned loudly.

"You don't like science?"

William sighed. "It's not that I don't like science. It's just that I'm not very good at it, I don't really understand it and I have to work twice as hard."

"You know, William" Oliver started looking into his son's eyes. "It's not a bad thing to not understand something. I don't understand science either. I hate it."

The boy's eyes brightened and he perked up. "Really?"

Oliver nodded with amusement in his eyes. "Really, and no matter how many tutors my parents hired I still could never get it." As he said this, Oliver had an idea. His eyes twinkled with joy. "You know, the Flash likes science."

"He does?" William looked at him doubtfully.

Oliver nodded. "Yes, he's one of the biggest nerds I know." He laughed. "And so is Felicity and Ci-Vibe." He corrected himself.

"And you know him because you are-" he lowered his voice to a whisper. "the Green Arrow?"

Oliver nodded. "Yes. Do you know how he defeats all those metahumans?" William shook his head negatively. "He uses science to figure out their weaknesses and how to use his speed to achieve that."

Oliver looked at his son opening his mouth as he thought about what Oliver said. William looked adorable in that state, Oliver had to admit. Then finally the boy came out of his thought and looked sheepishly at the older man.

"I guess it's kind of cool." He admitted cautiously with a small voice.

Oliver smiled warmly and Samantha gave an appreciative look in his direction. Oliver was happy. If he could convince William not to stop trying and keep his grades up not only Samantha would be pleased, but he would be as well. He wanted nothing more than a bright future for William, and that meant doing well in school.

And so the three of them continued talking, William telling Oliver more about himself and what he liked, what he disliked and Oliver opened up about himself to his son. By the time it was time to leave, Oliver was one of the happiest he had ever been. Samantha was more closed than the two males. She would smile and she would praise William for his achievements, but Oliver had a feeling that she was disturbed by something. When William left to go to the restroom, Oliver had every intention to not exactly interrogate her, but Samantha sighed and found her voice.

"Oliver, we need to talk about William."

If Oliver was drunk, he would've immediately sobered up. The Emerald Archer saw the serious, worried look in Samantha's face and fought against his urge to swallow hard. Oliver felt cold sweat on his neck as he folded his strong arms and tried not to look worried – for Samantha's sake.

"What is it? Is everything ok with William? Something wrong at school? Any bullies giving him a hard time?"

Samantha shook her head. "No, everything is alright at his school as far as I know. But..." she sighed and licked her lips. "He's been having nightmares. About what happened on the island, I think. And he's not talking to me, which is very unlike him. He used to talk to me about everything. And he's waking up in the middle of the night screaming and crying and I don't know what to do, how to help him, I-"

Oliver caught her hand in his bigger one, trying to be reassuring. Samantha was ready to start crying at any moment now and he doubted she wanted William to see her this way.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" he asked as smoothly as he could.

"Can you? Please?" her voice trembled and she bit her lip. "I know - I mean, I think- that after what you went through on this hell of an island yourself, you'll be able to-"

"To understand what William is going through and connect with him." Oliver finished for her.

Samantha nodded. Oliver let a sigh escape his lips. He didn't want to let the woman down or fill her with false hope. On the other hand, though, he desperately wanted to comfort her and reassure her that everything was going to be alright with her –their- son.

"I'll do the best I can." He offered her a smile, which Samantha returned with gratitude.

This was the time that William conveniently chose to return from the restroom. He eyed the two adults weirdly and sat in his seat.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes, sweetie." Samantha kissed her son on the forehead.

"Cool. And I can stay with Oliver tonight, right?" he asked hopefully, looking between his mother and the Star City vigilante.

"Of course honey, of course."


	21. Reporters

Chapter 21

Kara was walking to her job with a latte in a to-go cup in her hand the next morning, filling her friend James in on what was going on with the rest of the superheroes. She had a terrible headache from last night, despite her Kryptonian healing. She and Barry had really hit it off –with Mon-El's help- and Kara was sure she was glad she couldn't remember most of the night. She was certain that whatever the duo of superhero friends did was mostly embarrassing and therefore felt glad she didn't have the memories to blush about. She was definitely kicking her boyfriend's ass when she saw him again for getting her this drunk.

"Wow! This is...really something else." James shook his head trying to wrap his mind around the new reality Kara lived in.

Kara offered him an apologetic smile as they entered the elevator. "So, what have you been doing while I was away?" she asked cheerfully.

"Well, the Guardian and Mon-El stopped a hostage situation at NCPD."

The blonde opened her blue eyes wide. "Wow! You and Mon-El teaming up?!" she exclaimed amazed. "There's surely something different with the world."

"Hey!" James chuckled. "We can work together when the situation requires it."

Kara chuckled and punched his arm playfully. "I'm glad National City can rely on you and Mon-El when I'm not around to help." She smiled at him and the two walked out of the elevator.

"KIERA!" Cat Grant's deafening scream almost caused an earthquake.

Kara and James looked at each other. "I guess you're being summoned."

"She does realize that I'm not her assistant any more right?" she whispered annoyed.

James just shrugged his shoulders. "You better go see what she wants, before she alerts the whole floor."

"Right." Kara sighed.

The two friends parted ways as James headed to the photography room and Kara towards Cat Grand's office. The woman was shining like all the times Kara had seen her, with her blonde hair perfectly curled, expensive branded clothes and the familiar frown that only the queen of all media wore.

"Miss Grant, you are back? You asked to see me?" Kara stopped quirky in front of Cat's desk.

Cat looked up to her with a half annoyed half stolid look on her face. Kara swallowed hard and fixed awkwardly her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "I told you, I will be gone for a few days only, Kiera, to settle my responsibilities, before I came back to the office officially. And I'm glad I did." She looked around the office cringing her nose. "Olsen had turned my office into a gym annex. Why didn't you reason with him?"

"It wasn't my place, Miss Grant."

But Cat Grant didn't hear her, as usual. Instead, she waved her hand dismissively and sighed, before composing herself. "It's not why I called you here, though. Kiera, I'm very disappointed with you. I'm disappointed with all my employees. I thought that I had left my business in capable hands, but I see that I was wrong. I'm so glad I returned before things got worse."

Kara frowned looking more confused than ever. She had no idea what the woman was talking about. In her absence, Kara, herself and many other reporters of CatCo had delivered many breakthrough stories to the public. Cat had no reason to be disappointed.

"I don't understand, Miss Grant."

Cat Grant fixed her elegant glasses on her nose and glared at Kara obnoxiously. "A team of supervillains was stopped by a team of superheroes in Coast City and nobody has written anything about it. Tell me what is wrong with this picture. This is the story of the century. It can change the lives of everyone on this planet and instead of being broadcasted on every media out there, it's hidden and buried. And I had to find out about it form a YouTube video Carter showed me." Cat took a breath from her unforgiving monologue, looking Kara with imperious eyes full of judgment. "Kiera, I thought your friendship with Supergirl, not to mention that red-leathered boy-scout Allen, was close. Have either said anything to you about it?"

After Cat's bomb blew on Kara's face, the only thing the Kryptonian could think of was _There is a video on the internet?!_ How could Winn or Cisco or Felicity not pick out that there was a video with them fighting Cadmus' metahuman Suicide Squad? Kara's silence seemed to irritate Cat Grant.

"Well? Have they? I don't have all day to sit here and watch you opening and closing your mouth like a fish out of the water trying to find your words."

For all the powers that she had, Kara simply couldn't make herself unfreeze. Cat Grant had the power to make the Girl of Steel powerless. "I-uh- Miss Grant- I-"

"I'll take that answer as a no." she sighed. Cat took off her glasses and looked at the younger girl again. "Kiera your boyfriend may find your stumbling-on-your-words problem cute, but I assure you that it's not. For God's sake, you are a freaking reporter, you can't let anyone intimidate you. Now, I want you to get me an exclusive with Supergirl and Zippy and the other leather costumed superheroes. I want to know if this was a one-time thing, or if they are forming a team, a group, a league - whatever. What happened in Coast City, who the villains were and what they were after? Were they acting on their own or as a hit team for a higher mastermind? I don't care how you contact them, by phone, by mail, by pigeons or with smoke signals, I want you to set a date and hour for my interview with them. I'm going to bring this story out there, Kiera. And I'm positive that there's going to be a juicy one." Kara could only watch her boss with huge, frightened eyes, as Cat smiled in self-satisfaction. "Chop-chop now. You have a superhero meeting to arrange."

Kara nearly jumped out of her skin and she ran out of Miss Grant's office as fast as she could without alerting every one of her superspeed. Kara gritted her teeth as panic started to settle in her chest. In one word, they were screwed. She entered the elevator and took her cell phone out of her purse. _Pick up, pick up, pick up, s_ he thought trying not to crush her phone with her grip. Finally, he picked up.

"Barry, we have a problem."

#

Iris West was working late at home. Her article was not going as great as she liked. She sighed in frustration, pushing her laptop away from her. It was at this point that her cell phone rang. Iris smiled as she saw Barry's silly face flash on the screen.

"Hey, babe." She greeted cheerfully.

Her fiancée's answer was twice as cheerful. "Heeey, Iriiisssss. Howwww are you?"

Iris looked frowning at her phone and then put it back on her ear. "Barry. Allen. Are you drunk?" she asked in amusement.

Barry giggled. He actually giggled. "I am!"

Iris' eyebrows shot so far up that almost disappeared into her hair. _How in the world did that happen?_ But then Barry provided her with the answer.

"Kara took me to this alien bar in National City that Mon-El works and he made me this- this blue drink that can make me drunk." He giggled again.

Iris smiled. It has been a while since her best friend was so carefree. "Well, I'm glad you and Kara are having fun."

"We are having the BEST fan. Unfortunately, the- No Kara you can't fly around the bar and dance in the air." She heard him lecture the blonde Kryptonian.

Iris heard a feminine voice – who she assumed it was Kara- laugh. "Is that Iris?" _Yep, definitely Kara._

"No, don't-"

"Iris, you should come here." Kara yelled on the phone.

"Kara give me back my phone."

"But I'm not done talking to Iris." She groaned and Iris could imagine her pouting. Then there was a distinguish sound and Barry was back on the phone.

"I'm coming over."

Before Iris could forbid him from running in super speed while drunk he had hung up on her. Five minutes later a whoosh arrived at her apartment and Barry appeared with a cheeky smile. Iris put her hands on her waist and frowned at him.

"I'm drunk." he stated happily.

"I can see that. You really shouldn't use your speed in this condition."

Barry frowned for a moment before regaining his smile. "Of course I can. And I wanted to see you. At first, Kara wanted to have a match, see who can find the most lost puppies. Then, she wanted to play strip poker shots with Mon-El and I soooo wasn't up for that. So I came as soon as possible. I mean, there were some buildings in my way while I was running. I didn't know building could do that. They really shouldn't get in people way when they are running." He said seriously.

Iris could barely hold herself from cracking up. Barry pulled her into his arms, his smile never leaving his face. "The effects of the drink last only thirty minutes and I have ten left before I go back to normal."

"Good to know."

"While I'm still drunk I want to do something that I never thought I would have the chance to fo after I got my powers."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "And what's that."

Barry smirked. "Drunk sex."

"Barry. Are you sure?"

He frowned. "Of course I'm sure. Except if you're not Iris. You look like Iris, are you not?" he asked confused. And Iris couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

When they both woke up the next morning, Barry didn't have a hungover due to his super healing and no regrets. But they both had a great time.

#

Lois Lane was a fearless journalist –one of the best. It didn't have anything to do with dating a superhero, but it was perhaps the reason she and Clark had such an amazing chemistry. Lois was used to dive into danger not thinking of the consequences of her actions, but only to get the story to the public. Which was actually the only reason she and Clark argued occasionally. When he accused her of being reckless, she would argue back saying that he was also on the line of fire, putting his life at risk. And then, of course, he would say that he was the one that was bulletproof. All their fights went exactly like this. Lois, of course, knew that Clark was basically a God walking among men, but she also knew that there were things (as few as they were) that could kill him. So naturally, every time he suited up as Superman to go save the day, she would worry about him. She would think if this was the day when Lex Luther or whoever the villain of the week was would take the upper hand. But as many times as he left, Clark would always come back to her. And that was a truth –a reality- that Lois Lane truly believed in her heart.

Unfortunately, as strong as her hope was and as fearless as the journalist would like to think she was, missing your fiancé for almost a month had started to take a toll on her. Being alone in a big city like Metropolis and no one to confide in her worries, her fears, the nightmares that kept her awake at night... Lois felt like she was drowning in a bottomless sea of darkness and... sorrow? Loneliness? Maybe even terror for what might her fiancé be experiencing.

This is why Lois took a few personal days off from her job at the Daily Planet and rented a hotel room in Central City. She figured that she would feel better in the city that accommodates most superheroes. Lois eyed skeptically the number, one of her sources had found for her. She chewed her lip, her back pressing on the open window of her room, that viewed the Central City park. Finally, making up her mind, Lois dialed the number and held her breath until the person on the other side of the line picked up

"Iris West." The woman answered the phone.

"Hello, Iris. This is Lois Lane, I hope you remember me?" Lois sounded unsure, but yet sweet and polite.

The answer came almost immediately. "Yes, of course, I remember. How are you?"

"I was actually hoping to talk to you about that. I'm staying at the 'Gem Cities' hotel in Central City for a few days and I would like it if we could meet when you are free."

Lois could hear some noise from Iris' workplace. It was a characteristic noise she was pretty familiar with from her own work at the Daily Planet. Iris mumbled to someone to wait a second and that she'd be right there, before excusing herself and returning her focus on Lois.

"Sorry about that." She apologized.

Lois chuckled. "It's fine. I know I'm interrupting your work."

If Lois could see Iris, she would see her shake her head. "No, you're not interrupting anything. That was just my boss being silly and a pain in my ass. He has been difficult since I refused to go on a date with him, but he can't exactly fire me because I'm the only one with ties to the Flash."

Both women laughed. Iris' situation reminded Lois of her own ties with Superman and how similar the lives of the two journalists were.

"Look, Lois, I have a lunch break in two hours. We can meet at Jitters if you like."

Lois smiled. "That's great, thank you, Iris."

"It's nothing, really. Do you know where the place is?"

"I'm sure I can find it. I have my day free, so I was thinking of exploring the City."

"That sounds nice." Iris answered with a smile in her voice. "Enjoy your day, Lois, and I'll see you later."

Two hours later Iris West walked into Jitters and spotted Lois Lane just as the woman was ordering her coffee. Iris waved at her and smiled brightly, before walking the rest of the distance between them.

"Hi, Iris. Can I buy you a drink?"

Iris smiled but shook her head. "You don't have to."

"Hey, Iris. You want your regular?" the waitress asked as she gave Lois her coffee and change.

"Yes, Tracy. Thank you." She thanked her former coworker.

The two journalists walked through the crowded tables and up the stairs to the upper level. A young couple sat beside them, though it didn't seem like they were going to stay a couple for long, as the girl screamed curses at her to be ex-boyfriend for sleeping with one of her friends. Iris watched amused the exchange with an arched eyebrow. Though, she felt bad, for the girl had lost a boyfriend and a friend at a single day. Lois had the same expression on her face, but she didn't try to hide the amusement like Iris. She almost choked laughing when the girl threw her tee on him.

"Well, I didn't think she had it in her." Iris laughed, shamefully pleased with the event's progress.

"He damn well deserved it." Lois remarked turning her attention back to the black woman she was here with. "I didn't think it could get so interesting in this city." She admitted.

"Well, Central might not be as big of a city as Metropolis, but I assure you that it's never boring."

"I'll remember that." Lois chuckled.

"So, how do you like Central so far?"

Smalltalk. It was a good technique to start a conversation, especially one like Iris suspected to be. Lois realized immediately what the other woman was doing. But there was no way to ease the conversation to this specific topic. Despite knowing that, Lois answered the question happily.

"Very bright and friendly."

Iris bit her lip. She too, like Lois, knew that this conversation was going nowhere, so they might as well cut to the chase. She sighed and nibbled her turkey sandwich.

"To be honest, I'm surprised that you called me. Out of all the people, I thought that Kara would be the person you would turn to considering."

"You're right and truthfully I gave it a thought, but...Kara couldn't possibly relate to what I'm going through. At first, I thought that with them being relatives Kara's presence would make me feel better, that Clark was still somehow with me."

"But it's not the same." Iris finished Lois' line of thought.

The other woman sighed, staring at her coffee still scorching. "No." she admitted in a small whisper. "But then I started following up on the other heroes, seeming they are connected to Clark and I came across one of your articles." Lois paused for two moments and looked Iris straight in the eyes. "You lost him too."

Iris bit her lip at the exclamation. Lois held herself from reaching out and touching the woman's hand in comfort. It seemed that although Iris had Barry back for some time now, the months that he was lost still haunted the young journalist.

"I did." She said finally. "He was gone for six months, sacrificed himself so that the speedforce wouldn't rip the entire Earth apart. He was selfless that way – always was. Putting everybody's wellbeing over his own. My superhero fiancée." she chuckled laughlessly, shaking her head. "He didn't even ask me if I was ok with his decision, he just did what he knew was for the best for everyone else."

"How did you cope with it?" Lois heard herself ask.

Iris shrugged. "I was angry with him at first. I mean, I knew that what he did was the right thing to do, but still... We didn't have five minutes to relax and enjoy our engagement and all hell broke loose. For how amazing it is to be a hero, your life is filled with loss."

"I know what you mean. Clark is almost never around, always having to rush to save someone's life or a burning building or stopping Lex Luthor's latest genius evil plan... Sometimes, he would have to go away to fight some alien from another galaxy that wants to conquer the Earth and built his race over our ashes. I would watch on the news his fight on the atmosphere and he would reach into space and I would safer panic attacks that this will be the time he won't return, that he'll leave me alone. I guess we both have superhero fiancées."

"Cisco could always vibe him if you want to see how he is doing." Iris offered.

Lois felt joy fill her at her words. It was quickly replaced with quilt though. "You guys have a lot of things to do. I don't want to be _that_ woman."

But Iris shook her head. "I don't think that Cisco would mind. Besides, maybe he can take you with him in his vibe. Seeing Clark will do you good."

Her heart fluttered in Lois' chest. A wide smile spread across her face and looked a the woman in front of her like at any minute she would take her words back. She just wouldn't believe it. She would get to see Clark?

"Cisco can really do that?" she asked almost afraid that iris would laugh at her face.

But the woman nodded eagerly instead. "Of course."

Lois breathed out a sigh of relief. She felt like she could breathe again. "Thank you."

"So," Iris stated with a playful glint in her eyes. "Did he tell you early about him?"

Lois snorted. "God no! if it was up to him he would still be keeping it a secret. But you see, I'm not one of the best investigating reporters for nothing and I don't mean to offend you or anything."

"No offense taken." Iris laughed reassuringly. "I mean, you've won the Pulitzer. I'm actually jealous, any tips?"

"Just follow your instincts." Lois shrugged. "Your articles are actually very good from what I've read. You're still new to the business though. Give it some time and you'll be putting your Pulitzer in the front row seat at your house."

Iris would be red if her chocolate brown skin allowed her to blush. She smiled shyly and flattered though. "Wow. Thanks."

"Just saying the truth." Lois brushed it away like nothing.

"You know, would you like to have dinner with me and Barry tonight? Or maybe just me, he could be called on duty, this job has no time limit."

"I wouldn't want to intrude..."

"No, it isn't a problem at all." Iris reassured her. "I already cook more than normal because nothing can suffice Barry's appetite and we could exchange stories like women dating Superheroes."

Lois thought about it. Sighing, she smiled at the woman. The two of them had similar lives and Lois really needed someone to talk to about what she was going through. And with a secret as big as the one she was carrying, a therapist was out of the question.

"I'd like that very much, Iris."

#

Kara flew to the D.E.O. and searched for her sister. Alex was walking towards her and nodded with her head to follow her in a more secure location. Eager to learn what her sister had learned Kara run like an impatient kid.

"So? Did you get my message? What did my mother say?"

Alex was looking at her little sister with a serious, yet knowing look. "Your mother's hologram didn't say anything. But there's definitely something fishy going on."

"What do you mean?"

"As soon as I asked about the Worldkillers the system shut down."

Both women's eyes glinted with understanding. "So whoever the Worldkillers are, they definitely have something to do with Krypton." Kara concluded.

Alex nodded silently.

"I think I'm going to make that trip to the Fortress of Solitude after all."

"Are you going right away?"

Kara nodded. "The sooner I get there the sooner I'll come back. And I have to inform Barry and the others."

"Did something else happen today?" Alex asked concerned.

"Cat Grant wants to interview our team of superheroes." Kara exclaimed widening her eyes and throwing her hands in the air.

Alex groaned. "So much for keeping this team a secret."


	22. Life isn't easy,much less forSuperheroes

Chapter 22

Oliver found himself once again back at the familiar forest environment of Lian Yu. It was nothing new for the archer. It didn't matter that he had escaped the island years ago. In his sleep, he always returned to the place that shaped him into who he was now. His very own purgatory. And it didn't matter that the island was blown up now. Why should it? Oliver wasn't really here now, it was all a dream. He was all too aware of that. There was always something new when Oliver visited this place. A new thought that tormented him. The island tormented Oliver, like it tormented his son now. Oliver was glad that Samantha hadn't died when Adrian blew Lian Yu. William was scared enough as it was, having been kidnapped by a psychopath. The boy didn't need to lose a parent and gain a new one that had no idea how to be one. Oliver wondered if that was the reason he was having this dream, why he was here.

Oliver took in his surroundings. There was nothing different. Tall, green trees all around him. The smell of flora was strong in the air. Oliver briefly thought of moving in the woodland, maybe find the reason he was brought here. But a familiar, female voice prevented him from doing so.

"Why are you back here, Oliver?"

He carefully turned around to face her. Oliver felt moisture in his eyes looking upon the image of Shado that had manifested out of nowhere.

"You brought me here. You tell me." He chocked.

Shado gave him a disbelieving look. "Why do you keep coming here? You are out there in the real world, yet it's like you never left the island. Stop punishing yourself." she looked at him with sadness in her eyes.

God how much he missed her. Shado was the one that kept him alive on the island and not only in health. She was the one thing that kept him from losing his mind. And now she was dead. All because of him. His fault. It was all his fault. Oliver looked at his hands, they were shaking.

"You need to move on Oliver. How many times do I have to tell you that? Every time you are just about to escape, you get scared and crawl back." She tells him clearly upset.

Oliver flinches, but doesn't answer the question. "You didn't tell me anything, Shado. You are not real. You're just my subconscious."

Shado looked pleased with that. "So, tell me why you are back here this time?"

Oliver shook his head. "I don't know."

"But I do." She moved closer. "You don't deserve to be alive."

"No." Oliver shook violently his head, refusing to accept her words. "No. I've been down that path before. I'm over it. I have moved on."

"Is that so?" Shado had an eyebrow raised, challenging him to back down. When he didn't her face became neutral. "You don't deserve to be part of their team."

Oliver almost choked. "What are-"

"Oh, come on." Shado exclaimed. "Look at them. Barry can move faster than your brain, he can have every opponent disarmed before they can blink – he can literally bend time. Kara is the most powerful being on the planet, she could crash the world with her little finger. Firestorm can transmute everything. And the other metahumans? Cisco, Dinah, Caitlin, even Ray Palmer is more useful than you are. What can you possibly offer to them that they can't accomplice themselves? You are just in their way, Oliver. You are holding them back."

Oliver shook his head again. "No, that's not true. Barry said he needed me."

Shado laughed humorlessly. "He just said that because he didn't want to hurt your feelings."

"They are my friends." Oliver shouted arguing back.

"They are going to die, Oliver. They will be so focused on keeping an eye on you in the fights against super-powered beings, that they'll fall to their deaths protecting you. It will be their blood on your hands, Oliver. Once again those you love will die because of you. You can't protect them, like you didn't protect me."

Oliver woke up from a scream. It wasn't his, though. It took four seconds for Oliver to orientate to his surroundings before he realized from whom the scream came from. _William!_ was Oliver's only thought as he rushed to the boy's bedroom and opened the door like there were invaders inside.

William was trashing in his bed clearly having a nightmare. Oliver noticed the boy was covered in sweat. A whimper left his lips. "No." the moan was barely heard. Oliver sat next to William and reached his hand to wake him. The mattress sank from the extra weight.

"William, wake up." He shook him lightly.

Thankfully William woke up with the first try. The boy shot up, his expression frightened and looked around him breathing heavily.

"Hey, it's ok. It was just a bad dream. I got you." Oliver said in a smooth voice, hoping to calm the boy just a little.

William recognized his father but didn't show any signs of easing. Oliver had never seen him so tense before. So - completely out of instinct- he circled his arms around his son and drove William in a comforting hug. William accepted the hug and surrendered himself to the older man, as the tears started falling like a waterfall. Oliver felt him shake from his sobs. So he continued hugging the boy whispering "It's ok. I've got you." softly. And after a while, it became something like a prayer in the wild depths of the merciless night. _It's ok. I've got you. It's ok. I've got you. It's ok. I've got you._

Oliver doesn't ask if he wants to talk about it after the tears have stopped. He has plenty of experience of his own and he knows not to press, that William will talk to him when he's ready. Oliver looks at his phone for the time. It showed 3:15 and that he had a message from Barry. _Something came up,_ it wrote _. Call me when you can._ He had to wait. William was Oliver's priority.

It's 6:30 when William speaks.

"You died." It was barely a whisper, but Oliver still heard it. "We were on the island and there was this crazy man and he killed my mom." His voice trembled. "And then he killed Felicity. I couldn't see her, but I knew that it was her. And then you tried to stop him and he killed you too. And there was so much blood. There was blood everywhere." The tears came again and he shivered.

"I have nightmares about that island too." Oliver spoke softly.

William turned to look at him, his eyes pleading. Oliver knew what that look meant. _Really?_ He nodded at the boy's unasked question.

"I was older than you when it happened to me. My father took me with him on a trip with our yacht. It was called Queen's Gambit. There was a terrible storm and it sank." Oliver observed that William was looking at him, having his full attention. "I saw my father and the crew members drown under the big angry waves of the ocean. I thought I was going to die too. Some days later I found myself waking up on the island. I was the only survivor and the only man on it. I lived there for five years. I was alone, I was hungry. Sometimes I felt like I was losing my mind. But I wasn't always alone." Oliver licked his lips looking at William. "Sometimes bad men came to the island. William, the island is-was- called Lian Yu and it translates to Purgatory. That's what it felt like when these bad men came. This island was my personal living hell for five years. So, you see, I know what you're feeling. The nightmares you have, I have them too. And I can tell you that it will get easier. Because I'll be there for you. I didn't have anyone to talk to, but you have me."

Oliver tried to make William understand that he wasn't alone. That he could talk to him and that he related. From the uneasy, foggy, unsure gleam in the young boy's eyes, Oliver could tell that he had failed. He had to try harder.

#

Barry and Wally got up bright and early the next day to start rebuilding some of STAR labs before the scarlet speedster had to go to work at the police station. The six months that he was gone into the speedforce, the remaining team Flash had managed to reconstruct the most valuable parts of the lab, such as the cortex, the medical bay, Cisco's workshop and the Breach room. The speedster couldn't comprehend how they had achieved that in such a short time. Now that he, with Wally's help, superspeeded their way into remaking the place, Barry realized that they had a major problem. He did the math many times in his head, they didn't have the money. It didn't matter that between both of them, they could have the lab ready within a day and a half. Rebuilding required money. And they simply didn't have that.

Barry sighed throwing aimlessly a piece of concrete. He put his hands on his hips and stared heavily at the dirty floor. _How are we going to fix this?_ He hadn't realized that he had spoken out loud until Wally asked him.

"What are you talking about?"

Barry raised his head to look at the younger man. Wally had stopped working when he heard Barry speak. He had a hammer in his hand, that was forgotten for the moment.

"How are we going to pay for the reconstruction?" Barry's voice was deep and quiet. Like he was still talking to himself. Barry licked his lips and his green eyes boarded into Wally's. "I did the calculations. There is no way we can find all the money we need for STAR labs."

Wally moved. The hammer fell from his hand and the sound it made when it hit the floor was shrill. Wally took a step forward. His mind ran at almost light speed thinking, the same way Barry's did.

"What are we gonna do?" he whispered finally.

"I don't know, Wally. I'll think of something." Barry said just as his cell phone started ringing. Barry frowned, creating a dip crinkle between his eyebrows, as he looked at the caller. "Ray, hey. What's up?"

" _Everything is great, Barr_." Ray's cheerful voice greeted him from the other side of the line. " _Actually, I have some news to share with you and Felicity told me that you are repairing STAR labs today, so I thought I'd kill two birds with one phone call, ha! So how is it going?"_

Barry sighed, although a light smile had touched his lips hearing Ray's morning rumble. "Not so good actually. We discovered that we have some... financial problems."

" _Oh, man. I thought so. But don't worry, I have us covered. That's why I was calling you in the first place."_

Barry frowned. "What do you mean?"

" _Well," Ray started. "I realized that saving the world requires resources and because our numbers are many, this means double and ripple costs. Also, some of us aren't working so we can't exactly provide help and those who do work...let's face it, it's not much. Not enough for what we need anyway. I also realize that Major Oliver can't invest city's money in a secret project. So I decided to take back my place in Palmer Tech."_

"But, Ray, I thought you didn't want to be CEO anymore?" Barry asked confused. "And besides that, we can't just take your money."

" _You're not. And as for the CEO part, I may not like it, but it's the best place for me to be right now. Look, Barry, I have an idea to create a sister company to Palmer Tech. It will collaborate with STAR labs and create positions for those of us that don't have a job. But most importantly, the money we'll need for our activities won't be able to be traced back to Palmer Tech and expose our identities."_

"It sounds like you have given it a lot of thought."

" _I have. Listen I can't explain it all from the phone. I just wanted to let you know."_

"Ok, then we'll have a meeting. What about the board, though? Aren't they going to disagree?"

" _The board can shove their opinion up their asses. This is my company. I'll do whatever I want with it."_

Barry laughed. "Ok, then man. I'll see you."

After Ray said his goodbyes, he ended the call. But before Barry could put his cell back into his pocket, it started ringing again. Wally gave him a weird look and Barry shrugged. It wasn't like him to be this popular in the morning. Usually, the only frequent calls he received were from Cisco and they all had to do with crime fighting. Barry looked at the caller id. This time it was Kara calling. The speedster smiled remembering last night and how embarrassing drunk Kara was. He was definitely going to tease her about that. He answered the call.

" _Barry, we have a problem."_

#

Laughter echoed in Barry and Iris' loft. Lois and Iris were sitting on the couch enjoying a glass of wine and sharing stories between them, while they were waiting for the meal to get cooked. The apartment smelled deliciously of the spices in the pork the women had put in the oven an hour and a half ago.

"I can't believe Clark did that?" Iris laughed again at the story of how the man of steel proposed to Lois. "That was so cheesy."

Lois rolled her eyes and snorted. "Like your Barry was any better. I mean, singing is as cheesy as they get."

Iris smiled innocently and shrugged her shoulders. "I mean, Barry has been cheesy our whole lives."

Both women laughed again. "What have we gotten ourselves into?" Lois asked and although she groaned dramatically while she spoke, there was no question that she was actually joking.

"True." Iris sighed. "But we wouldn't have it any other way." She gave Lois a pointed look, which the other woman returned.

"We're doomed." They both laughed again, just as there was a sound at the door and Barry appeared.

He spotted the two women immediately and smiled at them. Iris noted that there was something on his mind, troubling him, although he tried to conceal it. She decided that she would let it go for now. She would bring it up when Lois left. Barry took off his jacket and approached them.

"Hello, ladies." He greeted smiling charmingly.

Lois raised an eyebrow and leaned towards Iris to fake-whisper to her. "I can see why you agreed to marry him. That smile is illegally charming."

Then she moved away acting like she hadn't intentionally let the man hear her. Barry blushed right down to his neck. Iris was pleased to see his reaction. She eyed Lois, who in return winked at her devilishly. Iris cleared her throat.

"I invited Lois for dinner."

"I can see that." Barry said managing to regain his natural color. "It's great to have you, Lois. What brings you to Central City?" he asked with honest interest.

"Oh, you know." Lois began casually. "I had some vacation days from the Daily Planet and decided to have some reporter to reporter fun time with your woman." She winked at him.

Barry chuckled.

"Well," Iris get's up from the couch. "Why don't we discuss our days over dinner? The food is ready." She goes to move to the kitchen, but Barry beats her to it.

"Let me do it."

Before either woman can process it the room brightens from a flash of lightning and suddenly the table is set and the food served. Barry is standing at the side with a cocky little smile that makes Iris want to hit him and kiss him at the same time. Lois, who had only managed to get up too, stood beside Iris with her mouth a little agape in wonder. She leans a little closer to Iris, her eyes never leaving the table.

"Does he do the dishes too?" she asks a little lost and amazed.

"And cleans the house." She answers positively. "I mean, it only takes him like five seconds."

"I wish Clark did that. I always have to clean up his mess. He leaves his things everywhere and then forgets where he put them. "

Iris laughs but gestures to the woman to follow her to the table. Barry fidgets impatiently, wanting nothing more than to dive into the delicious smelling food, as his stomach growled in hunger.

"So, I thought you might have Flash duty tonight." Iris started the conversation, as she served food on the plates.

"Wally is covering for me. He said that I needed one less thing to worry about. To be honest, I think he just wanted to get rid of me. Be Kid Flash without me over his head telling him what to do." He admitted.

"Which reminds me." Iris set her fork down. "Scott wants me to cover an event next week. It's about this new scientist and his work, Dr. Elias. And I wanted to see if you could come with me to explain all the science stuff I don't understand." She batted her eyelashes at him.

But she didn't have to. Barry, after hearing the scientist's name, went on nerd mode.

"Really?! I've heard of him." He exclaimed excited. "I read a paper about his recent work and the man is a true genius. I mean, I think he is actually smarter than Dr. Wells – and I didn't think there was anyone smarter than him. The man claims to have found a way to power the entire city and then maybe the world with a limited power source and no pollution to the environment. Is that what you are covering?"

Iris could master only a weak "Yea.". Barry's nerd attacks left you kind of speechless.

"Wow." Lois remarked sipping her wine. "Do you think there is a catch? I mean, his theory sounds too good to be true."

Iris shrugged. "I guess we'll find out next week."

"It'll be great. We haven't been to anything like this together since... Simon Stagg."

"Simon Stag, yea you're right."

"So, what have you ladies been up to today?" Barry changed the subject.

"Oh, you know. We exchanged stories about you and Clark." Lois said suggestively.

"I hope nothing embarrassing." The speedster chuckled slightly eyeing his fiancé.

"Everything about you is embarrassing, babe." Iris winked at him.

Barry made a face. "Thanks." He smiled sarcastically.

Iris chuckled. "Aw! But that's why I love you!" she said as she moved forward and gave him a big, mouthy kiss.

She only meant to give him a little peck on the lips. But as soon as his lips were on hers, she got lost in the feeling. Lois' voice was what interrupted them.

"Oh, did someone spilled honey all over you guys?"

The couple separated red with embarrassment. They both smiled shyly and Barry cleared his throat in a pointless attempt to clear the air.

"So." Iris cleared her throat too. "I told Lois that maybe Cisco can vibe Clark again. To see how he is, maybe bring her with him."

Barry immediately understood what was going on. Of course. Lois must miss her fiancé and worry about him. The speedster kicked himself for not thinking about it sooner.

"That's a great idea. And I'm sure that Cisco wouldn't mind."

Lois smiled hopefully. "Thank you. But are you sure?"

"Absolutely." The answer came without a pause. "You have every right to see him. And besides, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe you and Cisco can overhear any more information, any clues to help us stop that war that is supposedly coming. The sooner that ends, the sooner Clark will come home."

Lois' eyes were now filled with determination. A purpose she didn't have before. She nodded at the speedster.

"Let's do this then."

#

Cisco was already waiting for them in the Breach room when they arrived. Iris walked in first with Lois behind her anxious and reserved –although she tried not to show it- and Barry. The call to the engineer was made right after they had finished with dinner. Barry knew that Cisco would still be at STAR labs helping Kid Flash patrol the city. Thankfully Vibe just told them to come right over and get it done.

Lois hadn't gotten farther than the cortex the last time that she was at the lab. The reporter looked around her feeling undoubtedly and understandably out of place. Her eyes fell to the short Latino man and recognition settled in. She had seen him before. He came to her apartment out of nowhere and had a vision of Clark. That's how they knew how he was and where he –kind of- was. The first time Lois had seen Cisco use his abilities she could have been fooled that he was a medium. But she had seen far too many strange things to fall under the beliefs of superstition. And later Kara had confirmed that the man was a metahuman, a mortal given powers form a science project going wrong. Lois was grateful for the man and the help he had –and was willing to provide. She still didn't know how to feel about her involvement in using his powers yet. She longed to see Clark for sure - she had the stomach nerves to prove it. But she had been only human all her life. Superpowers were all Clark. And although there were times that she had wished for powers herself (because let's face it; who hasn't), at the end of the day not having them made her who she was. And she was glad for that. So you could say that she was a little cautious and it didn't help that Cisco didn't look half as strong as Clark. Yet Lois was determined to see him.

"Ok. So, how are we doing this?" she breathed loudly dusting her pants.

Cisco eyed the woman and then checked to see if either Barry or Iris would talk. Nope, it was his presentation. "Well, you are going to sit in this chair and wear this" he waved at some sort of wire-looking-wreath thingy. "on your head and then I vibe Superman."

Lois eyed that thing on his hands intensely. "What will this thing do to my brain?"

"It will align our brainwaves. I'll be wearing one too."

"Well, if you don't worry about getting your brain fried, I guess I'll take my chances." She sighed and proceeded to the chair.

After everything was in place and Cisco held Clark's fake glasses again he asked. "Are you ready?"

"Well, no, but it's now or never." The stress was noticeable in Lois' voice.

"Let's the vibe begin." Cisco said and then suddenly everything around them changed.

 _Cisco recognized the room the moment the vibe began. He heard Lois breathe and squeal next to him. He turned to check on her and he found her touching her body to see if she was whole._

 _Lois gasped feeling the weird sensation of transporting into the vibe. She looked around amazed, not quite believing what she was seeing. Where were they? One moment she was sitting at the basement of STAR labs and the next she was transported on another planet – or was it dimension. She saw Cisco by her side. He looked calm and completely... what's the opposite of out of place?- comfortable being here. She realized that he had done this before, the man wasn't an amateur. Lois should have trusted him from the beginning._

" _We're here." She didn't realize she had spoken the words out loud until Cisco replied._

" _No, we are still at STAR labs. Just our conscience moved."_

" _You can think of it as astral projection if it helps." Barry's voice echoed in the room._

 _Lois jumped, startled by the sound. "Ok, that was really weird."_

 _They heard Barry and Iris laugh. "It's ok, Lois." Iris spoke. "What do you guys see?"_

 _The two of them turned their attention elsewhere. They were in the same room that Cisco had vibed before. He told them that. Only this time Superman was conscious. Holding the Spear of Destiny in his left hand, the man of steel was looking at it preserving a frown._

" _Oh, my God!" Lois whispered._

 _Instinctively her hand came to cover her mouth as she breathed in and her eyes watered at the site of the man she loved, after going through a whole month without him. Lois jerked forward to run to him, forgetting for a moment that she wasn't really here. Cisco grabbed her hand to hold her before she managed to move._

" _We are not really here." He reminded her softly._

 _Lois let his words sink in. She wanted to hate the sympathetic look Cisco was giving her. Yet, at this moment Lois needed to grasp at the solitude the man was offering her. Slowly she nodded her head and Cisco let the hold he had on her arm. Giving each other a knowing nod, Lois moved closer to Clark, yet not enough to touch him._

" _I've missed you so much." Lois' voice shook as she spoke._

 _Cisco, on the other hand, started reporting what he was seeing. "We can see him. He's awake and he has the Spear. He seems to be alone for now."_

 _But he wouldn't be alone for long. Pretty soon Rip Hunter and the alien entered Kal-El's room. It was a pretty convenient timing. Cisco thought that the timing was better even if they had an appointment._

" _I'm guessing that's the alien." Lois nodded at the red skin, weird-looking humanoid._

" _Yep. That's him. Guys Rip and the alien just made their appearance."_

" _How long do we have to stay here?" it was Rip who was asking._

" _Until the war ends." The alien spoke._

" _And how long will that be?"_

" _I do not know, Rip Hunter. When we merged the Earths the timelines changed. I have no way of knowing when Darkseid will strike. However, it is paramount that you remain here if only he finds a way to come here."_

" _I thought you said that only you can transport between this place and the Earths?" Rip frowned._

" _While it's true that only I can move in and out of the Multiversal Nexus, don't underestimate Darkseid and his hunger for power. He is devious and clever and has many followers at his disposal." The alien stopped talking and looked at Superman. "Kal-El you've been very quiet. What is bothering you?"_

 _For the first time, Clark looked away from the Spear and his eyes rested on the speaker._

" _It's Lois." Cisco heard the woman inhale a breath. "When I left I didn't know long this will take and I didn't say a proper goodbye. I wish I knew how she was."_

" _I'm fine. I miss you." the woman said, although he couldn't hear her._

" _You're significant other is doing fine, Kal-El. She is at the company of the heroes. It is my duty to observe the worlds and I keep a close eye to those we brought together."_

 _Superman stood up. His eyes sparkled with joy. "Are you telling the truth, Monitor? Is she really ok?"_

" _I could show you if you want." The Monitor offered, making Superman smile._

" _What about the teams?" Rip spoke up. "What are they doing?"_

 _The Monitor turned his attention back at the Time Master. "From what I've seen they know of our plan and have united. But, unfortunately, don't have any leads yet."_

" _Can't we help them somehow? Sent them a clue or something?" Clark asked._

 _But, the Monitor was shaking his head before the Kryptonian could finish his sentence._

" _I'm afraid that we can't. My job is to observe the worlds, not interfere. And although I couldn't let the Multiverse get destroyed, I can't see the future."_

" _But I can, if you let me out of here." Rip objected._

 _The Monitor raised his hand to stop the Captain. "You are a Time Master, Captain Hunter. You of all people know the dangers of recklessly messing with time."_

 _Rip Hunter sighed defeated. The Monitor was right. "Then it's up to them."_

 _The three of them nodded and then Cisco and Lois returned back at STAR labs._


	23. Closer yet not enough

Chapter 23

The wind was becoming colder and colder on Kara's face as she flew closer to the Arctic. Of course, the Girl of Steel rarely felt bothered by temperature whether it was cold or hot. It took an extreme temperature change for her alien skin to feel the difference and then again the Kryptonian adapted to it very quickly. With her super vision Kara could see the familiar crystal and ice fortress. She landed gracefully in front of the towering sanctuary, the only piece left of Krypton, her home planet. Kara had visited her cousin's fortress a handful of times only. It reminded her too much of the home she lost and although Kal-El didn't have the memories to pain him and found comfort in it, Kara did have them. She had avoided this place for ten years more or less until circumstances forced her to stop hiding from her past. Now she was here once again looking for answers. Fate liked to play cruel jokes on her.

As Kara walked inside the familiar space, she can't help but remember what it was like to be on Krypton. She always did when she was here. Her memories started with the good ones. Her parents, her home, her aunts, her friends. She always did love Clark's mother, Lara, though she had a special connection with Astra, her mother's twin sister. _That turned out fantastic,_ Kara thought to herself as she remembered her battle with her aunt over Earth. But eventually, Kara's last memory would be of her planet's destruction. She remembers seeing it explode, remembers feeling the shockwave of the explosion hitting her pod and drifting it away. And then...cold, unforgiving darkness, that haunt's her until now.

Kara closed her eyes tightly. She took a deep breath and exhaled. When she opened them again her blue eyes were glimmering firm with wetness. It had been years since she last cried over Krypton's demise, yet it was difficult to not tear up every time she was reminded of it.

Supergirl approached the heart of the Fortress, her red cape winnowing from the light breeze. Kelex wasn't there to greet her this time. Kara pushed her lips and her eyes filled with a determining glow. She raised her left hand and let her heat vision hit her palm enough to draw blood. She then placed her hand on the temple.

"Hello, Kara Zor-El." the voice of the Fortress said. It was cold, unforgiving and emotionless. It sounded exactly like the programmed AI of her mother's hologram device. The only difference was that this was a male's voice. It always bothered Kara how cold the voice of her mother sounded. She would think that with all the advanced technology Krypton had her parents or Jor-El would make these AI's more realistic, more home-like.

"Jor-El. I need your help." Kara yelled at the empty space in front of her.

"What do you want to know, Kara Zor-El?" Jor-El asked.

"I want to know everything about the Worldkillers. I know that they have something to do with Krypton because my mother's hologram didn't even refuse to tell me, it just shut down. So here I am. Tell me what they are."

An agonizing moment passed before Jor-El spoke. "I cannot disclose this information."

Kara growled. Deep down she was afraid that this would be the answer all along. Nevertheless, she tried her luck one more time. "This world is in grave danger. You have to tell me about them."

But the answer was still the same. "I am not programmed to disclose this information."

Kara glared angrily around her. This was not happening. She had traveled all the way to the middle of nowhere for information that would save the planet and this stupid machine won't tell her what she needed. Kara was about done with secretive AI's and their inability to share information when needed.

"Well do the math and overrun your protocols." She yelled furiously. "I'm not leaving this place until I get what I came here for."

"Kara Zor-El leave immediately. If you refuse and insist on asking of the Worldkillers the Fortress will activate the self-destruct protocol."

As if on cue, the Fortress started to shake and the crystals turned from bright white to red. Kara's blue eyes widened. She was afraid. Jor-El wasn't kidding around. Rao, what in the world were they mixed up in for Jor-El to be afraid to talk about it? It was clear that Kara wouldn't be getting what she wanted after all, so not wanting the Fortress to become a pile of icicles, she left wondering what she was going to tell the people waiting for her return in Central City and how they were going to move forward with nothing on their hands.

#

Cisco's place was usually the hang out place for a boys' night, when Barry and Cisco would go all night playing video games on Cisco's x-box, or have a movie marathon of their favorite movies. _Nerd nights_ Iris used to call them. Tonight was one of those nights. After his best friend had complained half a dozen times that Barry has been spending all his free time with his fiancée and has been neglecting his best friend, the hero knew that he had to do something. So bros' night it was and Barry was in charge of bringing the snacks – for obvious reasons.

"Everything is set Cisco." Barry announced as he sped into the engineer's kitchen preparing the snacks into large bowls. That's when he heard it. The sound was coming from Cisco's living room, where said man was supposed to be picking the movie.

"Oh, come on!"

"Take that! What? No."

"Ha! You're gonna eat my- damn it!"

Barry approached slowly and a little confused.

"I win!" Cisco announced throwing his hands in the air and jerked up making a little –embarrassing- victory dance, completely oblivious to the console having fallen in his thrill. "In your face."

"This time." Came Winn's voice. "Let's go again and we'll see who's better."

"Oh, you know who'll win? This guy." Cisco pointed a finger at his Sherlock Holmes t-shirt. "Because I'm king in this game, my friend."

"Em, guys?" Barry spoke getting their attention.

Both tech guys turned to look at him, surprised at his sudden arrival. Not that Barry could blame them for not being careful who enters the apartment when they are clearly both so into the game. Yea...no.

"Bar." "Barry." Both of their faces lightened up upon seeing the speedster.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Playing 'Battle Front'."Cisco grinned. "I'm so glad you're here, that means we can start the Indiana Jones marathon."

"Yea, I have all the snacks ready on standby. I see you replaced me with Winn. I didn't know you guys got together like this."

Cisco snorted loudly, while Winn actually blushed. "No, man. You are still my best bro. But I have to admit playing video games with you is no fun- super speed and all."

"Come on Cisco, it' not like he can use his powers to win a video game, it's not sports." Winn spoke setting his console down.

Barry saw Cisco roll his eyes. "Are you kidding me. With the way he perceives time, it's like he can see a glimpse into the future."

Winn frowned, thinking about it. Then he shrugged his shoulders and looked excitedly at Barry like he was expecting him to do something. _Oooook,_ the speedster thought, weirded out. He chose not to say anything, though. Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and moved to sit on Cisco's couch with them.

"So, Winn. What are you doing here? I thought that with Kara out of National City, you would be helping the Guardian and Mon-El fight crime?"

"Winn was helping me make some upgrades for Supergirl's suit." Cisco explained. "Caitlin's medical paranoia has expanded to the Girl of Steel and you know, when Caitlin wants something, she gets it." He chuckled. "Besides, I already wanted to make some changes. Experiment with something and I had to get Winn's permission, you know. He did make the suit after all and I know that I wouldn't want anyone messing around with one of my suits. Respect the artist and all that."

Winn nodded. "Yea. And I can help James from here too." The man pointed at a laptop, logged in the National City police scanner.

"Wait. You made upgrades for Kara's suit?" Barry frowned not understanding why Supergirl needed it.

But Cisco waved his index finger. "Nah-no. You'll have to see it when we take Kara for a test run." He chuckled at Barry's pout. "Now, where have you put the snacks?"

Two hours and about 19 snacks later, Cisco was putting on the second movie. Winn laughed at something that Barry said during the movie when he said. "We should do this more often. It's really fun." And the other two agreed.

#

Sara and Oliver were working quietly at the hangar, preparing the hall with metahuman dampeners. If Barry wanted Sara to teach them all how to fight, they had to get rid of their superpower advantage first. Cisco was nearby too, installing cameras to record every angle he could think off. Sara, Barry and he had discussed this over the phone, while the two were driving from Star to Central, and decided to start recording their fights and then watch the video and learn from their mistakes so that when they were on the field they wouldn't make them. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but a necessary one. They didn't have the luxury to make mistakes. Barry being Barry had wanted to include Kara in the decision, which had taken them another half an hour because Supergirl was at the Arctic and the signal up there was terrible. In the end, Kara had agreed very quickly over the piercing sound of the strong wind she caused while she flew.

Stein and Ray weren't close to figuring out how to replicate red Sun radiation, mostly because Ray had spent half the time getting his return at Palmer Tech in order, and when he was physically there he and Martin would argue repeatedly. They were causing Jax headaches to the point where he just got up and left to see his mother without saying anything to either of them. Which caused the two men to panic, when they realized that Jax was missing.

As for the pair at the hangar, Oliver could feel that there was something bothering Sara from the moment they met this morning. He watched her bite her lip and glare at him when she thought he wasn't looking. But she never said anything, which was so unlike her. Until now. The former assassin huffed and stopped whatever she was doing and turned to look at Oliver, angry glare and hands folded in front of her chest.

"What the hell are you doing with Slade?" she demanded to know.

Oliver paused, though he remained calm. "I was wondering when you were gonna tell me why you are upset." He said.

"Answer the question, Ollie. I saw you talking to him. I want to know why." She demanded again, her voice stoic.

Oliver's blue eyes were filled with sympathy as he looked at her. "I promised him, I'd help him find his son."

"You did _what_?" Sara's voice raised as did her temper. "After everything, he did to you? And you even let him free?"

"I promised him, Sara. Twice." He insisted. "He paid for what he did."

The look on Sara's face was one of disbelieve. "Oliver he hunted everyone that you loved. He brought an army of Mirakuru murderers in Star City. He killed-" Sara held herself. In her outburst, she had started yelling and had draw Cisco's attention. She took a deep breath from her nose to calm her nerves and continued. "He killed Moira right in front of you and Thea."

"I know."

"How can you let him run free after everything he did?" she asked desperate to know what was going on inside Oliver's head.

"I know what he did, Sara, I know. But he paid for it locked up on Lian Yu and the Mirakuru has left his system. He sees clearly now."

"So what?" the blonde gasped. "So what that the Mirakuru left his body. He is a murderer."

Oliver nodded. "I know. He is also the one who helped me fight Adrian Chase and freed my teammates. And he's responsible for them being alive and well right now." He explained. "When Adrian killed himself and blew up the island I thought that they all died, that they didn't make it out. But Slade saved them. It's because of him that we're here today and that my son still has a mother. So yes, I think he deserves to find his own son. And I'm helping him."

Sara shook her head, she didn't like it. But before she could disagree Cisco interrupted. "Hey, there. Everything ok? Cause I could feel the tension all the way down there." He pointed at where he was previously working, the place all ready and cleaned up by now. He laughed nervously, his eyes moving from Sara to Oliver like a ping-pong ball.

The two ex-lovers glanced at each other and then Sara sighed lowering her head, while Oliver nodded at Cisco. "We're fine." He assured him.

Cisco clapped his hands. "Great!" he exclaimed. "Are you guys finishing any time soon, because Caitlin just called and said that Kara is back from the Fortress and Ray wants to announce something."

Both Oliver and Sara frowned. What was Ray up to?

#

At STAR labs, waiting in the cortex, Ray was acting like an overexcited kid, impatient to show his friends his new toy. Kara, on the other hand, had a frown as deep as the Missouri river that separates Central City from Keystone. It was actually the first time Caitlin has seen the blonde Kryptonian not being her smiling, enthusiastic self. The doctor guessed that her mission in the Fortress had gone unpleasantly, hence the bad mood surrounding the woman. Caitlin herself was occupying herself browsing aimlessly on the computer. In the corner next to the Flash suit Jax was playing a game on his phone. The sound of Candy Crush echoed in the Cortex causing Professor Stein to complain for the fifth time for his other superhero half to stop. Cisco, Oliver and Sara entered the Cortex, the latter two tensed – not that either was willing to acknowledge the tension between them.

"Where's Barry?" Cisco moved quickly next to Caitlin not wanting to be mixed in the strain vibe between Sara and Oliver any longer.

"He's almost here." Before Caitlin could finish her sentence, the speedster was there, huffing and crossing his hands over his chest.

"Sorry, I'm late. Captain Singh wanted to speak to me and I couldn't get away." He apologized, giving everyone a sheepish grin.

"It's ok, Barry. We just got here too." Sara's irritation could be heard clearly in her voice, although she tried to hide it. Her irritation wasn't directed towards Barr, though, but Oliver. Cisco eyed them both warily. He hoped they behaved themselves, though honestly, he was more aware of Sara. Oliver seemed pretty unaffected.

"Okey. So, who wants to go first?" he chuckled hoping to lighten the mood in the room. Barry felt like he walked into a buzzkill. The bad aura in the room infected him the minute he flashed in.

"You want the good news or the bad news?" Kara asked. "Never mind, I'll go first. I got nothing."

"So the Worldkillers is a dead end?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, no." Kara shook her head. "It's definitely something. And it's something very big. Definitely Kryptonian and I'm assuming deadly because the Fortress threatened to self-destruct if I kept asking questions."

"It can what?" both Oliver and Sara said at the same time.

"So basically we're back to square one." Sara concluded.

"Seams so." Kara sighed. "I'm really sorry guys. What are going to do now?"

"We hack it." Said a voice.

All heads turned simultaneously to look at the intruder. "Felicity. I thought you were home helping Digg, Dinah and Rene." Oliver eyed her confused.

The blonde smiled and walked to her place next to Cisco and Caitlin by the main computer. "Quentin is keeping an eye on them. And they promised me they wouldn't go after something that's in over their heads. And besides, I couldn't miss this. Ray and I came up with the best idea ever." She smiled at Ray, which gained him a glare from Oliver.

"Well, I don't know about you, but my Kryptonian isn't up to date." Cisco remarked sarcastically.

"Winn's are perfect." Felicity provided the solution. "I've been talking to him and I think that between the two of us we can do it. I mean we did hack the Dominator's technology last year right?" she chuckled at the memory. "And Winn told me this story of how he trashed this living computer alien –totally jealous by the way. She could have been my nemesis and he took her out." She pouted.

"That's Indigo."

"Yes, that's right." Felicity gave a thumbs up at Kara. "He told me she looked like this chick from the X-men, Mystic."

Cisco gasped. "Oh, great movies! Was she naked too?"

"Cisco!" Oliver snapped. The engineer stopped like a deer caught in his tracks and then blushed. "So you think that the two of you can get the information?"

Felicity nodded smiling. "I'm pretty confident. I'm not sure how long it'll take us though."

"I'm sure the important thing is to get the information we need. Doesn't matter how long it takes." Kara said looking around.

"I agree." Barry mumbled too sighing. "More good news please. Ray, you wanted to tell us something."

Ray jerked up excitedly. "Right-yes- of course." He cleared his throat. "Felicity and I have come to the conclusion that for this operation to work properly we need money."

"And we don't have. I realized that a couple of days ago." Barry added.

"I'm assuming you have something to suggest." Sara nodded for Ray to continue.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Ray flaunted. "We made the decision to separate our team from the D.E.O. and we never really worked for A.R.G.U.S. So obviously we don't have big government organizations to fund us."

"Do you mind getting to the point?" Oliver asked impatiently.

Ray nodded goofily. "I decided to take back my place as C.E.O. of Palmer Tech. "

"What does that have to do with funding us? You can't just start giving money to STAR labs without raising suspicions." Jax asked.

"You are right. Which is why we are going to create a new sister company as an expansion to Palmer Tech. Very low profile and we put our people at work."

"And does that company have a name?" Barry questioned. "And what kind of projects will it have? It'll need to produce a product."

Ray smiled at the speedster. "Smoak Technologies." He replied. "It'll engage avocation in cyber security for one. And second, I thought of expanding what you guys are already doing here with providing CCPD and Iron Heights with metahuman dampener cuffs and cells. You have to realize that metahumans have started fleeing Central City because of the Flash and have settled in other cities. We are going to supply them – and this is where the collaboration between Smoak technologies and STAR labs happens."

"Because if we're collaborating it's easier to cover up whatever extra activities we're doing." Cisco realized.

Barry nodded. He really liked Ray's proposition. "It's a great idea."

"That's not all." Ray insisted. "With Kara's Earth merging with ours we have also aliens running around committing crimes. We'll provide solution for them too."

"The D.E.O. doesn't take care of holding them, Kara?" Barry asked her.

Kara had been quiet, not really knowing how to input in the conversation. "Well, yes." She nodded and then paused. "But...I like Ray's proposition. James once told me that everyone deserves a fair trial, even aliens. And truth be told, the D.E.O. doesn't really respects lives. We might be dealing with aliens and I know that human rights don't practically apply to them, but aliens are living being too. They deserve to be judged fairly." She sighed.

Everyone in the room nodded understanding her line of thoughts. The next person who spoke was Jax. "Ray, you said that people we know will work in this new company. I'm good at building things, I've practically rebuilt the Waverider."

"Well, Jax you were the first person I thought of." Ray said causing the man to bump his fist in the air. "And Felicity talked to Winn and he said that he thinks he's more valuable in our team. Professor Stein? Sara?"

"Well, I need a job either way. I'm not a scientist, but I'll find something useful to offer." Sara said.

"I'm willing to help in any way I can." The professor agreed.

"The question is, who are we going to hire for legal support? The only way they are going to find out what we're really doing is from the paperwork. The only lawyer I knew was Laurel, but...unfortunately she isn't with us."

"Laurel would have helped." Sara agreed.

A sad expression clouded the faces of those from Earth-1. Kara realized that the person of whom they spoke off used to be loved as a family by them. And unfortunately, that person was no longer alive. Then all of a sudden Kara was hit with an idea.

"I know who we can trust." She gasped excitedly. "Lucy Lane. She's a military lawyer, she's Lois' little sister and she knows my secret and has helped me."

"Wait, you mean the one I met at the D.E.O? Short haircut and...generally short?" Barry asked.

"Oh, yea. She knows Barry's secret identity too. Trust me, we can trust her."

Barry nodded in agreement. "We can trust her."

"Well, that's good enough for me." Ray clapped his hands.

"I'm starting to get concerned with how many people know your secret identity Barry." Oliver scowled at the younger man.

The speedster raised an eyebrow. "Can you remind me how many know _your_ secret identity?" he challenged him.

Oliver pushed his lips. "No comment." He replied making the rest of them laugh.

"Now can we talk about what to do with Cat Grant?" Kara asked.

Groans echoed in the cortex. They had forgotten about the interview Kara's boss demanded. They had important things to figure out and on top of it, Cat Grant wanted an exclusive. On one hand, if they did the interview they will be saying bye-bye to the secrecy and they will be brought into the public eye. Which means more organized bad guys and being in the eye of the government (not that now they weren't). On the other hand, Cat Grant got always what she wanted and Kara didn't want to find out what her boss was capable of if she didn't get it. A fact that she shared with the group. It took them almost a whole hour to decide which action to take and then they retired for the night.

#

STAR labs was empty except from Barry and Oliver. They were the last to leave the building. Barry looked at the emerald archer frowning slightly at the sight. He could feel that his friend had a heavy heart. Not to say that Oliver didn't always look like that, but right now he seemed like something was eating the archer. Barry's long, thin legs moved slowly closer to him, as his green eyes looked Oliver carefully.

"Hey, you ok?" he asked

His voice was low and heavy, unlike any time Oliver had heard the speedster talk. It made the older man raise his head and look Barry in the eyes like he was compelled to do so. Oliver cleared his throat and diverted his gaze from the speedster.

"I'm fine." He said sternly.

Barry arched one of his weird shaped eyebrows and gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you sure? It seems like something is bothering you." When Oliver still refused to look at him (because he knew that Barry's pleading green eyes would make him break the minute he stared in them) Barry put a comforting hand on Oliver's shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything, right? What is going on?"

Damn! Oliver had underestimated Barry's wounded voice. The damn kid was a walking guilt trip. Oliver felt compelled once again, to spill his soul to the man. He knew he shouldn't. It was his problem, but he'd be damned if he didn't want or need someone to talk to. So, shyly he returned his gaze back at the brunette.

"It's William." Oliver's voice betrayed how desperate he felt.

Barry caught on pretty quickly. He was the first person to know about Oliver's son. Actually, he was the one to tell Oliver about William and for several months the only one to know about him besides his parents. Seeing the hunted look on Oliver's face, Barry grabbed the archer from the elbow and dragged him away.

It wasn't exactly a rule they had made, but for whatever reason every member of team Flash (old and new) seemed to lurk in the speed lab when they had done something wrong or were lost, hoping for another member to come looking for them and comfort them. It had become their thinking spot. A lot of moping had been done in here and a lot of great advises had been given. That's where Barry dragged Oliver too. Once inside, the speedster led the two of them to sit on the steps by the consoles.

"Ok." He sighed. "What's going on with William? Is someone after him again?" Barry asked concerned.

It wasn't the first time that William had been targeted because he was the son of the Green Arrow. Barry remembered when Malcolm Merlin had abducted the boy from his own house when he and his mother were still living in Central City. He was the CSI on the case and remembered how terrified Samantha looked. He was, of course, the one to tell the woman to seek Oliver's help. He didn't want to interfere with team Arrow's work obviously.

But the archer shook his head. "No. No one is after him." He spoke softly.

Barry nodded his head, pleased that there was no danger towards the boy.

"Samantha told me in one of our family meetings that William has problem sleeping. After what happened at Lian Yu I don't actually blame him, but she said that he wasn't opening up to her and thought that maybe I could help him."

"Because of what happened to you." Barry realized with understanding.

Oliver didn't know for what he was more grateful for. The understanding look on Barry's face or the little patient nod he gave him to continue. Oliver couldn't decide. He felt lucky, though, for having such a great friend in his life.

"But I can't get through to him. I've talked to him more than once. I've tried to relate to him, to make him see that I get what he is going through. And I keep failing every single time." Oliver cupped his face with his hands. "I'm a terrible father."

"No." Barry shook his head. "You're not."

"How can you say that, Barry?"

"Just because you haven't made William's pain disappear, doesn't make you a terrible father, Oliver. You are new to being a parent and you can't magically know what William needs in order to be able to heal and move on." He said causing Oliver to lower his hands and look at him again, this time more considering. "Ok, trust me. I may say that Joe is the best father in the world, but it took a lot of time for me to open up to him after he took me in. William may not want someone to relate to right now. But, I promise you, he will get better. He is strong, like his father."

These last words seem to hit something within Oliver. The archer's blue eyes gleamed with light, as a thought struck him.

"How did you cope with your mother's death?" he asked the man softly. He knew that Nora's death was and always will be a soft spot for Barry. Oliver needed to approach the subject with delicacy, he didn't want to hurt the man.

"I was angry all the time." Barry's answer came mellow. "I thought that no one could understand what I was going through and I think that deep down I didn't want anyone to understand. I had all these feelings and hidden grief, that it was easier to just be mad at everyone than confront what I was feeling." He spoke looking straight at Oliver, who took in every word that came out of the speedster's mouth. "Maybe that's what William needs right now. Until he is ready to face what happened to him, he just might need some time."

Oliver nodded his head without uttering a word.

"Afterwards I just threw myself into studying. The only thing that drove me was proving my father's innocence. But, Oliver, this isn't something that you can just move on from. My mother's death is still hunting me until today and I doubt that you don't have nightmares about Lian Yu."

The look on Oliver's face was the only answer the speedster needed. Oliver chuckled trying to divert the attention from himself. "I can't say William is following in your footsteps." In Barry's confused stare he elaborated. "He has hit a little problem with science. They're not very good buddies."

"Do you want me to help him out?" Barry offered. "You know, I'm actually very good with kids."

 _Why does that not surprise me?_ , Oliver thought as he was shaking his head to refuse the man's offer, but suddenly he stopped having another thought hit him. "Actually, that'd be great and... you know maybe you can talk to him about...you know."

Oliver didn't need to speak the words out loud for Barry to understand what he meant. The speedster nodded. "Ok, I'll try. But I won't pressure him."

Oliver smiled. "Alright, deal."


	24. Meeting Dr Elias

Chapter 24

A week later Cisco, Caitlin, Kara an Alex met at the airfield where team Flash had first tested Barry's super speed. When Cisco told her with his high pitched cheerful voice that they wanted to test out her new suit, Kara thought that she was getting a brand new suit that would resemble her old one but it would be new regardless. She felt a tingling sensation in her stomach the whole week. She was excited to see the upgrade (she loved the new suit Cisco had made for Barry), but at the same time, she was nervous because, despite the excitement, she loved her old suit. She wondered if maybe she didn't like the new one as much as the old one. Though, she never imagined that it would look exactly the same. Kara frowned checking herself out at the mirror that Cisco had placed at the STAR labs van. The suit looked the same and it felt the same. Kara couldn't see any changes. The blue and red costume with the emblem of the house of El mocked her _"What did you expect?"_ Kara heard Cisco calling her, so she took a breath and walked out of the trailer. The man greeted her with one of his usual big, cheerful smiles. Next to him stood her sister, her arms folded in front of her chest and her thinking face on.

"What do you expect to accomplice with this exactly? It's not like Kara needs everything that you put in the suit since she is invincible." Alex asked.

Cisco snorted before giving the D.E.O. agent an insulted look. "I'm sorry, are you an expert on this? Because I did my homework and even though Kara is indestructible by most things, there are those few that can hurt her or kill her, kryptonite for example. What about nuclear blasts? Elevating the force of the blast when is Kara simply affected, when does she loses her powers and when does that knocks her unconscious?" Cisco challenged her. "I present you with an example. Kara is hit with a force that knocks her out or takes her powers, even for a minimum amount of time, the bad guy has a clear shot at killing her. What is she going to do then? Number two. She gets affected by something we didn't know could affect her, we need to know immediately what part of her body is affected to come up with a solution at the most efficient time response. Do you want me to continue?"

Alex clenched her jaw as her fierce eyes pierced into Cisco's brain as if she wanted to melt it with the heat vision she didn't have. Alex knew all that already. She didn't need Winn number two to point out all the ways she could lose her sister. Neither did she want anyone telling her how to protect Kara. Alex had been in charge of protecting her since she was a little girl. Alex raised her hands in surrender and sighed.

"Fine, you make a good argument. Let's see what you got." She told the man.

Cisco smiled brightly before shouting. "Kara? Are you ready?"

Sure enough, Kara appeared frowning from the van and joined the two of them. Her blue eyes were still checking out the suit. Maybe Cisco had accidentally brought her old suit and the new one was still at STAR labs, chilling out in Cisco's workroom. Though, upon bringing her eyes to the man, he didn't seem alarmed, like she expected. On the contrary, Cisco was smiling like those people on toothpaste commercials.

"So, how does it feel?" he asked her hopeful tone and all.

Kara tried not to grimace. "Good. Yea..it's good – really good. It feels good." She chuckled awkwardly and snorts. "It's- uh- it's-it's- it's good."

Cisco nodded pleased. "Good."

"I swear, if I hear the word 'good' one more time..." Alex mumbled under her breath.

"But I..." Kara gulped trying to sound cheerful. "I thought we were testing out the new suit."

"This is the new suit." Cisco said firmly. "Well... technically it is the one you always wore, but I made a few upgrades." He added.

"Cool." She mumbled.

Cisco cleared his throat. "Now, if Miss dr. Snow joins us... Miss Snow...dr. Snow..." he mumbled to himself testing out the names.

"Why don't you just say, Caitlin?" Caitlin herself said.

He sighed. "Fine. Caitlin, get over here. I want to get started." He said as Caitlin moved her way towards their little circle. "Now, now. Can I have your attention please?" Cisco clapped his hands dramatically gaining an eye roll from Alex and Kara and a pointed look from Caitlin.

"You do, Cisco." Kara assured him.

The metahuman smiled. "Fantastic. Now, I know that you can't see the changes I made to the suit with a naked eye, but that was the whole point. Winn gave Caitlin access to Kara's physiology and health records and I was able to create 3D molecule sensors to be able to keep track of her vitals while Supergirl is on the field."

"Cool." Kara exclaimed.

"Why would she need that?" Alex questioned. "It's very rare that her vitals get affected and we already have a scanner at the D.E.O."

Cisco had the audacity to chuckle. "I am very well aware of that my dear Alex, but let me ask you. What if the next time Kara can't make it to the D.E.O. for a check-up? How will you know what is wrong with her?"

"Besides the fact that this gives us real-time knowledge of what is happening inside her body, the technology allows us to study Kara in a cellular level. Watching Kara's cells react to whatever she comes in contact with and how much energy she stores." Caitlin added. "I know, from the file the D.E.O. has on you Kara, that your powers can be drained."

"Yes, if I use all the solar radiation in my cells."

"But there is no record about how long it took for your cells to restore that energy."

"Which is why exactly I filled the suit with solar charged nanites. If you ever find yourself in a situation that has your powers drained, with a single push of a button I can have them recharged in no time. I also thought of adding a defibrillator just in case of a near-death experience when just the solar charge isn't enough, but I held myself. You are after all invisible." Cisco laughed.

Alex opened her mouth stunned at what the two scientists had accomplished with their way of thinking. Yes, the D.E.O. had done tests on Kara to see how much potential she had, her speed, her strength, her heat vision. But they had never thought of ways to protect Kara. From the start, they had viewed her as this weapon to use and nobody really considered the possibility that there were things out there that could actually harm her. Alex felt shameful as she considered all the things that she should have done better, as a sister most of all, and all the times she could have prevented Kara from being hurt. She listened as these two strangers took better care of her little sister than she should have.

Kara felt touched at the trouble Cisco and Caitlin had gone through for her. It just made her love them even more. Every member of team Flash had made her feel welcome since the first time Supergirl met the people and right now she felt like they were all one true team. There was no mine and yours. It was ours. Kara smiled brightly at Caitlin and Cisco. She didn't know how else to do to express how truly grateful she was.

"Thank you guys. It means so much to me." She told them sincerely.

Caitlin smiled back sweetly and gave the girl of steel a single nod.

"I've also installed a secret camera on the chest area so that it can record everything you're seeing. I've done the same with the Flash suit and if Oliver and the rest of his team get their heads out of their asses I'll do the same to all of them." Cisco continued, the last part of his sentence voiced in a higher tone than the rest, making Kara laugh. She could easily imagine Oliver's scowl as Cisco talked to him. Kara was certain that the archer had only said no to Cisco just to mess with the man's nerves. "With that said, let's get on with the show. I've loaded this baby right here with all the good stuff." Cisco pointed at his favorite drone. "Bullets, missiles, laser beams. First, we want to test heat vision and freeze breath. Measure the higher and lowest temperatures you can reach. And before either you or Alex object, I am very aware that you've had this tested before, but I have a pretty good guess that your powers have increased since you started using them. Caitlin will be monitoring your vitals the whole time and observe how your cells work. I want to know how fast they restore energy after they are almost drained." Cisco explained. "Then the last part is reflexes. We need to work on that. I read that kryptonite is supposed to be rare, but for some reason, the bad guys always seem to be in possession of a decent amount. You can't always stay still and let the bullets hit you expecting them to just bounce off of you. The next villain will have a gun that fires bullets made out of kryptonite. All you have to do is observe the bullet and determine what it is made of and make the right choice to move or to stay. Any questions? No? Ok, let's start."

"Wait. You made kryptonite bullets?" Alex questioned Cisco almost accusingly. She had an eyebrow raised and she looked ready to kill the shorter man.

Cisco in return looked offended and gave a pointed glare at Alex, which the D.E.O. agent didn't appreciate at all. "Of course not. I just painted them green."

"You painted them green?" Kara asked amused.

Cisco glared playfully at her. "You team up with a guy with green arrows, you have a problem with green bullets?"

#

Sara hopped off her bike and took off the helmet hanging it from the handle. In the distance, she could hear Cisco shouting with excitement. Kara was floating in the air wearing her fancy Supergirl costume, dodging whatever Cisco was shooting at her with his remote-controlled drone. Closer to Sara, under a tent Caitlin Snow seemed to be on her own little world. Sara could hear the doctor mumble about the exciting reading she was undoubtedly getting for Kara. The White Canary smiled amused at the three of them. They seemed like children playing in the playground and despite how odd the subject of the excitement was, Sara couldn't remember a time when she was just as happy as Cisco, Kara and Caitlin were at this moment. Sure she has had some great times with Oliver and her sister Laurel and later with the Legends, but none of these times did she feel as carefree as these people.

And there, a little far away from the action, sat Alex watching Supergirl avoid multiple of Cisco's blasts, displaying a very well-crafted Oliver-Queen-brooding-frown. Sara decided to join Alex. Her feet started walking on their own accord until they reached the agent and she sat down beside her.

"How is it going?" Sara asked casually.

"More than great actually." Alex admitted sighing and turning to look at the other woman. "What the hell are you wearing?" she then asked seeing Sara dressed in her white costume.

"It's the White Canary suit. Cisco made it for me."

"Of course he did." Alex chuckled. "So, why are you wearing it?"

Sara grimaced. "Kara, Oliver, Barry and I are going to have an interview with Kara's boss after the training and Cisco told me to meet you here to transport us."

Alex mimicked Sara's expression. "Ouch. Good luck guys, Cat is going to skin you alive."

"So I've heard." Sara nodded.

"Is Oliver coming here too? I don't know when they are supposed to finish here."

She shook her head. "No, Ollie is stuck at a meeting with someone important, or that's all I recollect from the message he sent me. But Barry will race over to bring him when he's done." She explained briefly. "So, if the training is going so great, wanna tell me why you're sulking all by yourself?" Sara asked softly, but with an edge that suggested that she wouldn't take bullshit for an answer.

Alex stared at her, her own determination activated. It wasn't Sara's business whatever was going on with her. She didn't back off though. In the end, it became a battle of wills, to see which fighter was more strong-willed.

"I know it's none of my business, but warrior to warrior, I know that keeping whatever is bothering you inside is going to affect your performance. And in our line of work, if we're not one hundred percent at our best people could die. And that is going to be on you."

Alex lowered her eyes to the grey cement and sighed. "I know." She replied acknowledging the integrity of Sara's words.

The blond nodded. "If you don't want to talk about it, we could spar. It helps me when I am in a situation like this and I'm not the greatest person at sharing my feelings." She suggested.

Alex shook her head. "No. I don't think that Kara would appreciate me stealing all her shine. This is her moment." She responded and despite her flat voice, Sara could tell that she was joking.

The thing about Kara and Alex's relationship that Sara noticed was that it resembled a lot her relationship with Laurel. They had their ups and downs, but they were always there for each other. Sara, as a more rebel type, was sometimes jealous of Laurel. But despite the times when she wanted to kill her sister, deep down there was a love for her that no one could break. That same thing Sara saw when she looked at Alex and Kara. Despite the younger girl being an alien from another planet and despite all the amazing powers she possessed, Alex loved her unconditionally –even though she wished she had her powers sometimes.

Alex shook her head, not knowing why, but having decided to talk to Sara about what had upset her like that. "I'm engaged to my girlfriend, Maggie. We're going to get married next month." She began.

"I have to be honest. I didn't imagine you to be the type to get married." Sara admitted. "Then again, I didn't think Ollie was either and he was engaged to Felicity, they might still get married in the future." Alex raised an eyebrow at the information, which Sara waved off dismissively. "Anyway, so what happened with Miss Fiancée?"

Alex played with her fingers in a way of stalling. "We've been arguing lately."

"Trouble in paradise?" Sara teased lightly. "What have you been arguing about?"

"Nothing big. There are always the small things that sets her off, like what type of music we'll have, band or DJ? Or how are we going to set the guests and how many guests we'll have. We argue about the food, which is ridiculous because we like the same things and it's just one big mess." She sighed burying her face in her hands. "And then there's the big, very big stuff. Maggie and her family have never been close and I see how she reacts with my family. So I encouraged her to reach out, to try and smooth things with them and she almost bit my head off. We had never argued so hard." She sniffed and quickly brushed a traitor tear from her eye.

"Can I ask you something?" Sara asked softly, waiting for Alex's nod to continue. "Who proposed?"

"Me." Came the answer, short and abrupt.

 _Just as I thought,_ Sara thought to herself. She licked her lips debating of how to ask the next question, but Sara was never a person to sugarcoat things. She was always blunt and truthful. The ugly truth was that the truth hurt sometimes, but Sara was a true believer that knowing it was better than the illusion of a sweet lie. Because as good the intention of the deceiving lie was, the truth always resurfaced. So, as always she stayed true to herself.

"Have you ever thought that maybe she said yes, just because you asked?"

The positive response was not what she expected, however. "This is what the next big argument is about. She doesn't want a family." Alex chuckled without humor. "She doesn't want to have a family with me. She never wants to have children. And I'm sitting here thinking why is this marriage happening in the first place if she doesn't want a family?"She looked Sara straight into her blue eyes, showing her how vulnerable and desperate she felt. "You know, what's the point?"

Sara gently laid her hand on Alex's back. "You know, I never thought I would have a family of my own. I didn't think it was possible with everything that was happening in my life. With how things have turned out these couple of weeks, it's the closest thing to normal that I had for a while. I see my father every day, I visit my sister's grave and I speak to her like I should have spoken to her when she was still alive. I feel like I have real friends that feel like they are family and that they'll have my back –even though I don't know all of them half my life like Oliver. And despite the whole battle-to-end-the-world anticipation, I sat yesterday watching my father wash the dishes after launch –which I should have done- and I thought to myself that this is how I want my life to be. This is where I belong and perhaps all hope isn't lost for me. The planning of a wedding is as nerve wrecking as they come. It can make people act out of character. What matters, though, is how do _you_ want your life to be like. What do you want and are you willing to compromise that for someone else's wants? Is it worth not being completely happy? Is it that insignificant? Only you can answer that."

#

Cat Grant was polishing off her third martini shot this early evening. It had been a particularly long and heavy day for the _queen of all media,_ an unpleasant meeting with the board members –some of who still thought they could vote Cat out of her own company-, a stressful call from Carter's school informing her that her son had come up with the flu and he had a very high fever –which resulted with Cat abandoning the meeting and rushing home, to hell with everyone else. By afternoon Carter's fever was gone, so Cat left him with the woman she had hired to take care of him. She had a whole company to help not crumble down and by the lacking performances of her employees lately, she had a lot on her plate that depended on her. What was occupying her mind mostly though was Kara's ineffectiveness to inform her whether the interview with the superheroes was happening or not. Cat, of course, knew that Kara was Supergirl, she had for a while. She wasn't stupid, despite letting her former assistant think that she had her fooled. The pretense was mostly for Kara's sake. The girl had freaked out when Cat had confronted her about it. Cat didn't have high hopes for the interview to happen or for the other heroes, Supergirl collaborated with, to agree to it. She was surprised that Kara hadn't burst through her doors and started explaining to her with a sad voice and blabbering words that they hadn't agree to do the interview. She would have said sorry and sorry again and she would plead to be for Cat to be understanding. But she hadn't done that. She also hadn't said anything to suggest the opposite. Cat was seriously confused. With a last sigh, Cat drowned the last of her martini shot and took off her elegant, expensive glasses, leaving them among the organized chaos on her desk and rubbed the space between her eyes. She was exhausted. That was when the lights went out. Cat shook startled away from the secure arms that were wrapped around her. The familiar red silhouette of the Flash stood before her giving her an awkward smile. That's when she realized that the lights hadn't gone out at all. She had simply been moved –at the rooftop of CatCo as it seems.

"Mr. Allen, a simple warning next time would be gladly appreciated." Cat Grant scowled at the superhero after she collected herself.

The Flash turned behind him, where three more human shapes stood and gave Supergirl a confused look. "You forgot to mention that she knows who I am." He said semi-accusingly.

Supergirl smiled awkwardly and shrugged her shoulders. "Details." She offered as an excuse.

"For God's sake, I've known your secret for a year and a half and I'm still keeping it. I'm not one looking to out superheroes." Cat retrieved the attention back to her.

"You understand that we have a right to be concerned though, right?" the man who called himself the Green Arrow said. His voice was as much frightening as the rumors described. Cat felt a chill run down her spine.

"Of course." She nodded in agreement. "But I give you my word that it is not my intention. You can ask Supergirl what kind of person I am. She knows me better than anyone."

"Supergirl has already vouched for you. This is why we are having this interview right now." The woman dressed in white said.

Cat had done a little research on her. All she was able to find out was that her name was Sara Lance and apparently she was supposed to be dead. And yet there she stood in front of her. Except if she was a clone. Cat had experience with Maxwell Lord turning an innocent, comatose girl into Bizzaro Supergirl, so why not cloning as well?

"And I am grateful for that. So, would you mind if I record this?" she asked searching for her recorder.

"Actually we do." The Green Arrow said. "If this tape goes missing, someone could connect our voices to our real identities."

"You are going to have to do this the old-fashioned way." Supergirl told her sympathetically giving Cat a small notebook and a pen.

Cat frowned displeased, but she also realized that they had a point. And would be damned if their secret identities were compromised because of her. So Cat accepted the notebook and the pen.

"Before we begin, you do realize that there are things we are not going to able to answer, right?" the Flash asked politely.

"I am aware of that." Cat nodded. "Ok, so let's start with an easy question. What do you call yourselves?" she began clicking the top of the pen.

The four costumed heroes exchanged glances between them, some awkward and some alarmed. I made Cat want to roll her eyes. They clearly had not discussed this. _Amateurs!_

"E-excuse me?" Supergirl asked confused the same time the Flash blurred out "What?" with a weird expression on his face.

This time Cat did roll her eyes. "I mean, do you have a name for your superhero team?" she asked again waving her hand aimlessly. "I've been thinking of a few of my own. The _League of Superheroes_ has too many syllables and _Justice League_ is just too corny and something one would find written in a comic book. I've been thinking of some others too but guessing from the fact that speedy over there didn't approve of any of my suggestions for his superhero name, I thought you would have picked one of your own. I'm guessing I was wrong to assume that, or it's too early and you haven't decided yet?"

An awkward silence clouded the atmosphere around them. Cat Grant's eyes moved repeatedly from one hero to the other, speculating every reaction like a cat. The silence lasted only a few seconds before Supergirl cleared her throat.

"We haven't really thought about it. We've been a little busy." She admitted.

"I guess we just thought of our arrangement as a team-up." Flash continued.

"That's interesting." Cat noted writing furiously on her notebook. "And what was the reason behind this 'team-up'? I know that you apprehended a team of metahumans in Coast City a few weeks ago. Why not before?"

"We have done this before." The Green Arrow assured her. "But for reasons that we cannot share we decided that it would be more beneficial if we made this arrangement a little more permanent."

"Aha!" Cat mumbled to herself, intrigued now that there was a mystery involved. "Can I have a clue as to what this reason might be?"

"Like we told you, we can't answer every question. There are things better-left secret for everybody's sake." White Canary replied.

"You can just write that we decided that we can be more effective if we work together." Flash suggested. "We can take on bigger threats and expand our borders of protection beyond just National City or Central City or Star City."

"I can see your point. And how many members do you have in your little...League?"

Kara, Barry and Oliver shared a secret look. "As of right now we have eight active members." Supergirl provided the answer. They had agreed that they'll keep the supportive tech members secret and reveal only those who go in the field.

"And are you open for new members?"

"We accept anyone who wants to save people." Flash replied.

"And we can trust." The Green Arrow added with a growl.

Cat nodded her head writing down all the information they share with her. Her pen was blurring from the speed which she was taking notes at the point where Barry wondered if Kara's boss had a small dose of super speed herself.

"I see." She mumbled to herself. "Now the problem that usually arises with individuals like you joining forces is at what point will the government start seeing your team as a threat or perhaps a valuable opportunity and try to hunt you or grab you for their benefit?"

"We are aware of what actions the government might take." Spoke the Green Arrow. "And while we support their leadership, we will not be used as pawns by them."

"I think you will agree that a powerful team like ours is better not operating under any political influence." Sara added.

"We don't want to be mixed in political scandals. And we're not looking to rule this world." Supergirl spoke next.

"We just want to save it." Flash ended last. "And the only way we see fit to save the world is if we remain uninfluenced by those in power."

Cat smiled pleased as she wrote the last words down. This interview was going as she had hoped.

#

After the interview with Cat Grant in National City, later that evening Barry and Iris dressed up to attend the scientific exhibition Dr. Elias was hosting and Iris was supposed to write an article about. Iris wore an elegant, but simple red gown with a deep neckline that had Barry drooling the second he laid eyes on her. He wanted to just say _screw the event_ and stay home where he would do unspeakable things to his soon-to-be wife. That was until Iris gave him _the look_ and shoved him out of the apartment. Barry himself was wearing a black suit and a red tie that Iris had specifically chose to match her dress.

At the beginning of the event, Dr. Elias had made a brief speech extending his gratitude to people here and there and spoke a little about his involvement in the scientific community. Nothing too important as Barry translated to Iris. After that, Elias had left the crowd to wander around admiring his latest projects. There was one specific exhibit that captured Barry and Iris' interest. That was where Dr. Elias found them.

"The famous Iris West. How I was hoping you would be attending tonight." Barry and Iris turned to greet the scientist.

"I don't know how famous I am."Iris chuckled, extending her hand.

"Your reputation surely suggests so." He retaliates charmingly shaking her hand and then turning his eyes on Barry. "And your companion might be?"

"Barry Allen." Barry shook politely the scientist's hand.

"Ah. Boyfriend?" he guessed.

"Fiancé." both spoke at the same time.

"My congratulations." Elias offered politely.

"Thank you."

"So, I see you have shown interest in this particular piece."

"It's very...fascinating." Barry offered. "Could you explain to us what exactly is it supposed to do?"

Elias eyed Barry with interest. "Are you involved with science Mr. Allen?"

"I work for the CCPD as a CSI." Barry replied.

"Ah, very distinct way to help people. As a scientist who wants to assist humanity myself, I created this device to solve the limited power problem we face. It's still a work in progress really." He professed.

"Solving the energy source problem is a spectacular achievement. I am very impressed. How does it work?" Iris questioned.

"I'm afraid I have to take only half the credit you give me Iris. It's the very reason I was hoping for your presence tonight. You see, the device is useless if it doesn't have the right...feed." the scientist admitted guiltily.

"And what exactly is that?"

"I was hoping for Central City's savior to accept contributing in my work."

"You want me to help you contact the Flash."

"Guilty."

"What makes you think that I know him?"Iris questioned daringly.

"Well, I assumed from the way you write about him. I promise that the cause is for the welfare of humanity." And then he continued. "I have been studying speedsters. Well trying to. Very spectacular individuals, this type of metahumans." He confessed. "And with a calculative guess, I can say that using my device, in an hour of running the Flash can produce the amount of energy required to satisfy Central City's electrical needs for a week –perhaps more. And I mean the needs of every single person, every facility, every household. Imagine that we would never have to worry about power blackouts. Hospitals will always have electricity to power their machines, no lives will be lost because of that. Can you imagine the possibilities? We'll be living in a new age."

"What will happen to the Flash's powers if he was to use your machine Dr. Elias?" Barry asked a little suspicious.

"Absolutely nothing. I'm not looking for ways to steal the Flash's speed. We certainly need him in our streets fighting crime and protecting us. I just want to use the remains of his extraordinary speed. I give you my word that no harm will come to the Flash, if he agrees to help me with this project. Something I could explain to him if I could speak directly with him."

"I'll see what I can do. But I make no promises." Iris agreed finally.

"That is all I'm asking. Thank you, Iris. Have a nice evening. Mr. Allen, Mrs. West."Dr. Elias gestured a polite goodbye to the pair and left them.

"Do you think it is possible, what he proposed?" Barry asked deep in thought.

Iris sighed and shrugged. "I don't know Barry. But if he's right, this will change the world."

Barry sighed too, a sad expression clouding his face, but leaving as soon as it appeared. "I know. Why didn't we think of this before?"

"Hey! You do plenty for this city as it is. You can't think of everything, even as amazing as you are."

Barry smiled brightly and then bent forward living a sweet kiss on the corner of Iris' mouth. "What would I do without you?"

Iris smiled back seductively and returned the kiss. "You don't have to find out."

#

In a secret hideout, Dr. Elias sat quietly in a room full of activated computers that run scans and measurements. The man had a scowl on his face as he yet again failed to get what he was trying to accomplice work. Angry, he hit fist on the table and growled loudly. The sound echoed in the room.

"What is the matter, Dr. Elias?" a voice spoke, mechanical and non-human, like an android.

Dr. Elias sighed and turned his eyes to look at the computer screen in front of him. In the black screen, he saw the familiar green face that had formed by millions of 1's and 0's. The face and voice of the man that was trapped inside the internet. Clifford DeVoe had appeared to him a few months ago, asking the doctor to help him escape this virtual world and return him back to his body. Elias had taken this task as a challenge and had agreed to help him. As it turned out, DeVoe had a vision that aligned with his own. They were going to make this world a better place. They were going to save Earth.

"I can't get it to work." Dr. Elias said gritting his teeth.

"It will work." DeVoe's voice came from the computer.

Elias shook his head. "I told you, I don't have all the parts that we need and I don't know where to find them."

"Fortunately for you, I know. While you were upstairs entertaining useless, spoiled, rich people, I took a little walk on the dark net and found what we've been looking for. I couldn't find her real name, though everyone in the black market calls her Blacksmith. She will get you whoever and whatever you want."

Elias snorted with arrogance. "And what about those vigilantes? They pose a threat to our plan. Did you think of a way to dispose of them?"

"The heroes are not important at this stage. We leave them be, they serve a purpose after all to our grand plan. But if we want everything to go as expected we are going to need to learn their weaknesses and their strengths and their real identities perhaps." Was DeVoe's reply.

Dr. Elias didn't like at all what he heard. "We don't need them." He growled back. "I just need to capture the Flash."

Elias was disgusted with the scarlet speedster to say the least. Unfortunately, the city viewed the Flash as a hero. But Elias knew the truth. From the moment the Flash had started racing around the streets, the city had suffered the most damage it had seen in years. The metahuman thought that he was their protector, but truly, he was just a wannabe, hiding behind his powers. A menace to humanity. Then another speedster had arrived. Zoom. He battled the Flash and the so-called hero had been defeated like a rag doll. And then Zoom brought an army to conquer Central City. The Flash had arrived to help, but there was still a lot of damage and a lot of casualties. His wife amongst them. Once again the city had embraced the Flash as it's hero. Elias couldn't be more disgusted. He was the only one who saw the Flash for what he truly was – a selfish, egotistical wannabe hero. Elias had spent the next year studying speedsters and had discovered the existence of the speedforce. That's when he truly saw red. He vowed that he would save the city and give it what the Flash kept selfishly for himself. Unlimited power. He would be seen as the best humanitarian after this. After he stole the speedforce from the Flash and gave the world a power source like no other, a power source that had no limit.

"Why do you question me, Elias?" DeVoe asked. "After all there is a reason I'm the thinker and you the executioner of this plan."


	25. Trip to the Fortress of Solitude

Chapter 25

Oliver heard the doorbell ring, which brought a big, shiny smile in the archer's face, as he raced to answer the door. Being the Mayor of Star City paid well, but no that well. So even though his apartment was nice enough, it didn't come close to being glamorous. It was satisfying enough for him though. Opening the door he greeted William and Samantha for their weekly reunion. Oliver didn't like thinking of their gatherings as meetings, it sounded too business-like. With one look and the blonde man could tell that William has not been sleeping well since the last time he had tried speaking to the boy –despite William putting on a smiley face. Samantha's guarded look only confirmed his suspicions. Oliver kept this to himself though and decided to bring it up when he and Samantha got some time alone from the boy.

"Hey, William, science still giving you a hard time?" he asked instead.

The ten-year-old grimaced as he flopped down on Oliver's couch. "Yes." He groaned gaining a small laugh from Oliver.

"Well, fortunately for you, I have a friend who has agreed to help you out with that problem." He told the boy. "Now come on, don't get comfortable for long. I've cooked dinner. Be ready to get your mind blown."

Both Samantha and William gave Oliver a skeptical look. Oliver could see the resemblance between mother and son. "You can cook?" Samantha asked raising an eyebrow.

"You'll be surprised what skills you can pick up when you're stranded on a deserted island for five years." He joked. "I promise you, I'm an excellent cook."

"No one is better than my mom." William argued.

Oliver looked fondly at his son. "Then I guess challenge accepted." He said jokily again.

Samantha chuckled. "Oh, really now?"

"Yep." Was the only reply Oliver offered. "Well, why don't I and your mother go set the table and we will call you, ok?"

William gave them a quick nod, but his attention had already been held captive by what was playing on the TV. Samantha followed Oliver to where the kitchen was, surprised by how organized he was. Then again, Samantha had to remind herself that Oliver had changed dramatically from the man she used to know.

"I'm surprised that you two wanted to come here today. I'm the one usually visiting at your house when we're not meeting outside." Oliver started the conversation.

"Well, we have a reason for that." The woman replied finding the cupboard with the plates. "I have been thinking that maybe it would be better...and safer if William and I moved to Star City. Now that he knows that you are his father and he's trying to bond with you it'd be much easier than to have to travel every weekend." She explained, moving to get the forks next. "And honestly, I believe that he'll be much more protected if he's near the Green Arrow. Especially with the little group you created."

Oliver paused for a second. "You know about that ha?" he said quietly. He didn't believe that the news of their team of heroes would be out so soon. He should have known that news like that spread as fast as the Kardashians' newest drama.

"Are you kidding me, Oliver? Cat Grant's interview is on every media and every platform."

Oliver sighed. She was right. Samantha called William to join them and the kid rushed to the table, making Oliver question that maybe William was, in fact, Barry's son.

"Did mom tell you that we are going to move here?" he asked Oliver diving eagerly to his spaghetti.

The blond man nodded. "Yes, she did, buddy. But I'm not so sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" William asked clearly upset. "Do you not want to see me more often?"

Sensing the boy's discomfort, Oliver felt a little panic settling in his chest. Wanting to quickly fix the situation before William thought even worse with his mind, Oliver set his fork down and gave his full attention to the boy.

"No, of course not. I want to see you as much as I can." He said reassuringly. "But Star City is very dangerous and shady place. I think that if you and your mother want to move to somewhere safer, you should go back to Central City. Despite the metahumans, it's a much safer town."

"William got kidnapped last time we lived there." Samantha pointed out.

Well, she had him there. "Well, Merlin is dead, so he won't be doing any kidnappings. And I can ask the Flash to keep an eye on you."

William's eyes lightened up at his words. "Really? Do I get to meet him?"

"Perhaps." Oliver told him smiling mischievously.

"I don't know Oliver." Samantha said skeptically. She didn't want another repeat of what had happened two years ago, that's why they had moved away in the first place –not that it had stopped Adrian Chase from finding them and kidnapping both of them.

"All I'm asking is that you think about it. Central City has much better environment than moody Star and a personal hero to keep an eye on you. Besides, I'll be visiting Central City much more often now that we have this big team and all. Wait, scratch what I said before, you'll have a whole squad looking after you. And my friend I told you about, the one who is going to help William with his school problem, he lives in Central."

Samantha pursed her lips. "So you want an excuse, if someone asks you why you are visiting Central so much, you can say that you are there just to see William." she called him out. To Oliver's good luck, though, William was all in for that and expressed to his mother how cool it would be to see all the heroes fight together.

#

Blue, electric light defused inside the Fortress of Solitude as a portal opened and three individuals stepped out. Kara Zor-El, dressed in her colorful Supergirl suit, Winn and Felicity –both of them heavily dressed. Felicity wore a very warm pink coat, a white hat and snow boots. She also had three layers of sweatshirts and an isothermal leotard underneath all of that. Winn like his fellow computer whiz wore a dark blue coat but hadn't got overboard like Felicity.

"Wow, this place is huge." Felicity gushed as her eyes roamed the Fortress. Or at least as much as she could, because soon her glasses fogged from the wide temperature difference between the heat in STAR labs and the ice cold of the Fortress. The blonde frowned. "Uh, I hate it when that happens." She whined.

From next to her Winn was amazed as well. He had heard tales of the magnitude of the Fortress, but never had he been himself. "I know, right? James always talks about how amazing it is, but still...it takes your breath away."

Kara blushed –she didn't know why- and smiled at her friends' kind words. "Welcome to the Fortress of Solitude. The last piece of Krypton." She extended her hands in a ta-da way, like the lady who told the weather on channel 52.

"Is this what all of Krypton used to look like?" Felicity asked the Kryptonian full of curiosity when her glasses returned normal and she could see again.

Kara nodded and she offered a simple "Yea."

"Wow." She simply voiced amazed. "I mean, I don't know if I could live forever in an environment like this, but it's definitely impressing. And the crystals- Winn tells me- hold all the knowledge your people had?" Kara nodded once again. "Awesome." Felicity rubbed her hands together. "So, let's see the core of this intellect center to have a first impression of what we're dealing with and where to start and then call Cisco to breach us back, before our limps star to freeze off. I hate making Cisco wait for us for too long."

"Me too." Kara retaliates the sentiment. Kara had offered to fly them up there, but her offer had been quickly shut down mainly because Winn was afraid of weights and refused to be flown anywhere by her. So the next option was for Cisco to vibe them up there and the man hadn't complained. "I feel bad for him that we make him transport us between places all the time. He's not a doorman. I wish we could do something to fix it."

"Maybe we can." Winn said. "You know that portal device that we have at the D.E.O. that we used to go to Slavers Moon?"

"Yea, but those have to have a pair." Kara frowned.

"So?" Winn shrugged. "Perhaps Cisco and I can come up with a solution to replicate the devise's functionality. I'll pass him the idea. Then we can put one in the Bunker for you guys in Star City and another one at STAR labs so you guys don't have to travel so much distance or have Cisco open portals."

"That's actually a great idea." Felicity complemented him. "We can save so much time if we have one of those things. So, is this the center of this whole...place?" she pointed at what looked like an altar, where most crystals were together.

"That's the one." Kara agreed walking towards it. "You think you can figure out how to enter its code?"

Felicity hummed to herself, as she made a thinking frown. "Well, if this Fortress is one giant computer and these crystals the parts the data is stored, then-" "all these parts must be controlled by one crystal." Both she and Winn finished together.

They smiled at each other. "All we have to do is find which crystal controls all the others." Winn said finally.

"How about this one?" Kara pointed out. "It's the biggest and it's glowing."

"That's not necessarily always the case." Felicity told her, making Kara pout adorably. "Don't you know how this place operates?"

"I know the basics. But not everything." She admitted. "I was just thirteen when I was sent to Earth. I hadn't learned everything."

Winn sighed and stooped to his knees, examining the variable of crystals. "Perhaps we should start checking them all out. I have a feeling it's going to take us a while until we find the right one."

"So much for not making Cisco wait too long." Felicity groaned throwing her hands in the air. Then, she followed Winn's example and stoop to her knees.

Kara blew out a breath, looking at the two of them working together. She folded her arms in front of her chest and tilled her head, making her blonde curls fall like a curtain on the side. "So let's say we find it. And then what? How are we going to extract the information or connect it to the computer?"

Winn and Felicity both stilled. "Well... We didn't think about it, did we?" Felicity whispered loudly to the man.

"No, we didn't." Winn shook his head.

"How about if we built some sort of converter to harness its power and simultaneously act like a port downloading its information to our server?"

Winn thought about it. "Super complicated, but might just work. Ok, let's get this over with and get back to Cisco."

"Amen!"

#

Oliver walked into the Bunker more relaxed than he usually was. Seeing his son always lightened him, a fact that still surprised the archer. Oliver found the hideout almost empty. It had become an accustomed thing for Felicity to be present all the time. Her not being here felt strange. He remembered that Felicity was currently at the Arctic along with Winn and Kara. Oliver shivered thinking about the cold they must be experiencing up there. He once had told Barry that he didn't get cold. But even he had his limit –the North Pole being one of them. Oliver noticed that Dinah wasn't present too, she had gone to Central City to train with the others and Sara. And he had sent Rene on an errand before he left. So, so far only Diggle was supposed to be down there. But yet again, Oliver was surprised to see Ray of all people, punching merciless one of Oliver's training sacks and looking like a total mess.

"Ray." Oliver call's to the man, as he approaches him.

The ex-millionaire and current superhero stopped throwing punches and turned to look at Oliver, whipping the sweat from his forehead. Ray looked worse than Oliver had ever seen him – that includes Ray dying in the hospital. This was a shock of course as Ray Palmer was always a ray of sunshine. It troubled Oliver, though he tried not to show it.

"Oliver." Ray greeted the man back breathing heavily.

"I'm surprised that you're here." Oliver admitted as he walked closer and leaned on the rail of the salmon ladder. "What got you so worked up?"

Ray sighed tiredly and grabbed a towel to wipe his wet hair. "It's the board. They voted me out of the company. And now we can't create Smoke Tech." he said angrily.

Oliver widened his eyes. "They kicked you out of your own company? Can they even do that?"

Ray nodded. "Apparently they can. They found a loophole and now I'm out." He sighed frustrated again. "God, I'm so angry right now. I don't know what we're going to do. So I thought, you know, blow off some steam and maybe I'll come up with an idea or something."

Ray kicked the sack and then groaned and sat down. Oliver looked him from head to toe, he looked desperate and utmost depressed. But then, all of a sudden he got an idea. Oliver was no businessman to say the least, but this might work after all.

"I still have my shares from when Palmer Tech was still Queen Consolidated right?" he asked the man.

Ray eyed him with a confused look on his face. "Yes." He answers finally, not really knowing where the archer was going with this.

"Then who said that you need to own Palmer Tech in order to create another company? Think about it. You might have been voted out, but you still hold your share of the company. And if I have mine too, then we can sell our parts and invest the money in a new business." He suggested.

Ray stared at Oliver with a considerate look on his face. "Actually that isn't a bad idea. Not bad at all." He said his eyes lighting up once again. "Oliver you are a genius. But wait, you can't just give your money to us? "

Oliver stared back calmly at Ray. "We all have to contribute in this team. If you have a problem with that, then don't think of it as me giving you the money, but as me investing in something that I think will have profit."

Ray smiled having regained his positivity. "Thanks, Oliver. I'll call Felicity to arrange things."

"I doubt you'll be able to reach her. She's at the North pole."

Ray made a funny face. "What in the world is she doing up there?"

#

Sara Lance had just finished training with the metahumans. Barry, Cisco, Dinah and even Jax were currently lying on the floor of STAR labs panting and moaning from the beating they had gotten during the training session. Cisco had equipped the room with metahuman dampeners so that they wouldn't have their powers and therefore be able to learn naturally. Dinah and even Jax knew how to fight with Dinah being exceptionally good, but still not a match for the White Canary. Barry had picked out some of Oliver's techniques over the years the two of them had fought together, but without his super speed backing him up, the speedster was quickly crushed to the ground moaning from the pain that covered his entire body and starting to think that he preferred training with Oliver. Cisco was much worse. At first, he had argued that he didn't need training because he usually wasn't on the field most of the time. But Barry had dragged him with him anyway. Now Cisco was considering changing Barry's best friend status, as he was glaring at the speedster from the ground.

"I'll see you all next week. Some of you newbies need the time to recover." Sara told them as she exited the room.

She walked towards the locker's room to change and then head to Caitlin's apartment. Caitlin had offered to let Sara stay the night at her place so that she wouldn't have to travel all the way to Star City at that hour. Sara had found the offer very sweet and had accepted gladly. Everyone from STAR labs, along with Kara, was very generous and polite she had noticed. After changing clothes, Sara prepared to leave making a quick stop at professor Stein's workshop to wave him goodbye for the night. Walking past the med bay, that was when Sara saw Caitlin coming towards her. The smile she had on her lips faded away seeing the state the other woman was in. Caitlin looked terrible to point out simply. She was shaking for starters –that was a dead giveaway – and her hair was messed up. She even had a small bruise starting to appear on her right cheek. Sara dropped her bag and rushed to her.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Caitlin said trying to sound convincing.

"Girl you are shaking. What the hell happened to you?"

But Caitlin shook her head again. "Physically I'm fine. It's just...Killer Frost. I need your help."

"What are you talking about? I thought you had her locked up?"

"She is...was. Someone attacked me when I was going to my car from the store and he took the necklace and Killer Frost broke out. I almost killed him." Caitlin shook harder, while tears started storming down her cheeks and her voice cracked. "You have- you have to teach me how to control her." She sobbed. "This can't happen again. I can't let it happen again. You said I should come to you for help."

Sara stared at the young doctor, trying not to show how upset she was herself. Caitlin needed to calm down or she would go into shock. Sara couldn't let that happen. So she hugged Caitlin with one hand and caressed soothingly her arm.

"Do you want me to call Cisco and Barry?" she suggested thinking that she probably needed her best friends right now.

But Caitlin shook her head like a crazy person and her eyes widened with terror. "No! No, you can't tell them." She almost shouted desperately. "I don't want them to now yet. I...I need some time and then I'll tell them. Maybe. I don't want them to freak out."

"They have a right to know, they are your friends." Sara objected disapprovingly. But then she saw the scared look in Caitlin's eyes. "Why don't you want them to know? The real reason."

Caitlin looked shyly at the White Canary. She bit her lip and sobbed again. "I'm ashamed." She whispered finally. It was a silent cry and Sara almost didn't hear her.

"Ok." She said. "Let's get you home, in a safe environment and I'll make you a cup of tea to help you relax and you are going to tell me exactly what happened. And then we'll see about helping you control these powers."

Sara took Caitlin's nod as an agreement and threw her jacket over her shoulders. She kept her arm over Caitlin's shoulders as they made their way towards the lobby and then drove straight to her apartment. Sara took a deep breath. She had a feeling that it was going to be a long night. She might call her father to tell him that she wouldn't be back to Star City the next couple of days.

#

After Oliver's conversation with Ray, the Green Arrow sought out the man he originally came down here to speak to. Oliver found John Diggle cleaning his guns by the armory. He was sitting on a chair working quietly with the weapons widely spread across the table. John raised his head at the sound of Oliver's footsteps approaching and gave him a greeting nod, one that the other man reciprocated.

"What's up, man?" Spartan asked whilst not stopping what he was doing.

Oliver moved quietly with grace and took a seat across his friend and brother. "Everything is good." He told him. "More than good actually. William and Samantha came over yesterday. We talked and it actually went pretty good."

"Is William still having nightmares?" Dig frowned concern written across his face.

"Unfortunately." Oliver sighed.

"You know, Oliver..." Dig set his gun aside and moved in his chair to sit more comfortably. "Perhaps it would help if William saw a therapist. It's been what? More than seven months and he still refuses to open up about his nightmares to either his mother or you. At this point, I think going to a therapist is your only option."

Oliver nodded quietly taking in his friend's words. Truth be told he had been entertaining the idea of a therapist himself. But no matter how many times he kept twisting it in his head, he kept crushing to the same problem.

"Trust me, I've thought about it too." He said honestly. "But what is he going to say? I'm having nightmares because a lunatic kidnapped me and my mother because my father is the Green Arrow?"

"That kind of complicates things." John pursed his lips.

"Yea, I know. But I talked to Barry and he agreed to...I don't know, maybe he'll get through to him."

"And you think that William will open up to Barry?"

"I mean, Barry was at his age when Thawne killed his mother. He understands better than any of us how William is feeling and copping. And you know how Barry is. Sweet, kind, funny. If he can't make progress with William then I don't know who will."

"I get it. That speedster is something else entirely, nothing like hard-asses like us." Diggle chuckled. "So how are you doing this? Is Barry coming over for a chat, or is the Flash going to pay him a visit?"

"Actually William is having trouble understanding some science staff for school and Barry is going to tutor him." Oliver admitted.

John laughed. "That's sly Oliver. I hope it works for the better. So is that why you came down here, to tell me about your plan and get my opinion?"

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. "For the most part. I wanted to catch up. Between being the Mayor and rushing back and forth to Central City, I feel like the only time we interact is when we go after criminals in Star City. And even for that, I'm not always around. You have taken more care of our city than me lately."

And then Oliver noticed John had a serious expression on his face. Diggle was mostly a serious person, Oliver knew that better than anyone, but it still struck him how quiet he had become when he was talking.

"What's going on, John?" he found himself asking. "I wanted to ask you before but you are always here. I know you said that you stay behind to protect the city while I'm away, but it feels like you never want to come to any meetings we have with the others. You don't want to get any details or updates on the situation."

Dig gave Oliver a long stare. It was so long and stretched that Oliver wondered if that was how Barry felt every day –being a speedster and all. "Look, Oliver, I'm glad that you came down tonight, I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"I'm listening." Oliver told him patiently, though on the inside he felt his pulse quicken. Oliver had an idea of what Dig wanted to tell him. He had some thoughts about it too – as rare as they were with all the background interference distracting his focus. That didn't mean that he wasn't a little bit anxious for the words that were about to come.

John licked his lips before speaking. "Lyla and I have talked and believe me it was a very long talk." He started looking Oliver straight to his eyes to see him nod his head. "And we decided that it'd be best if I wasn't involved directly with the big team. Don't get me wrong, I'm still on team Arrow and if you really need my held I'm going to help with the other stuff too, but... With Lyla being the director of a secret government agency, it complicates things." He added quickly, wanting to explain his reasons before Oliver jumped to the wrong conclusions. "Let's be honest Oliver. We don't know how long Lyla is going to stay on the top of the food chain. I hope it's for a long time, but you can never be sure." He sighed. "We talked about this with Lyla. At first, she had wanted to reach out and make an agreement with the rest of you to become partners. A.R.G.U.S. would provide any resources they have and in exchange, the team would help in some cases when she called. Like a director, she could see what a great asset this team would be. But then she thought like a friend, she might be the head of the organization, but even she get's orders from someone higher than her."

"She's afraid that the government will give her an order to bring us in." Oliver spoke Diggle's next line. It was as he had guessed.

The other man nodded. "And especially now that you guys made yourselves public, the government will be after you more than ever. It's just a matter of time. The question is, can Lyla refuse to obey this order? And that's where the problem lays Oliver."

"I would never make you choose between your family and us. And I'd like to believe that none of the others will too. Definitely not Barry and Kara and with them being the leaders I don't see anyone objecting. John your choice should always be your family. There are enough people to save the world."

"But I don't want to stop being Spartan. I don't want to stop protecting Star City. Lyla and I have been on different sides before."

"But you can't be on different sides now. This is bigger than anything we've ever done. You said it yourself, they will be after us. You can't be caught in the middle of this."

The two men exchanged a look of understanding and acceptance. Diggle felt a weight lifting off his shoulders. This had been eating him for some time and only now he realized how good it felt to finally get it out in the open.

"So, we good?" he asked one more time to be sure.

"We're good." Oliver assured him.

"Are you going to tell the others?"

"I'll let them know."

#

The dark cloaked man walked down a dirty and shady alley. He would rather be anywhere but there, but that's where the bar that the man he needed was. The man she had said was the only one who could help him get rid of his problem. Arriving at the bar, the man spoke the signal phrase and the scary looking bodyguards parted ways for him to enter. The inside of the bar was no better than the outside. Dirty and cold and the suffocating smell of cigarettes and alcohol proof of the place's bad aeration system. All the whores and scam bags of the city gathered in places like this. It was no less than the rest of the bars in this part of Star City. The man cringed his nose with disgust. If only he didn't need to be here...

At last, he spotted him. The man he was looking for. He was sitting alone, in the corner of the bar nursing a now warm whiskey. The eyepatch on his right eye was a dead giveaway of who he was. He had met with the woman before he came here. She hadn't introduced herself with something other than the Blacksmith. He had sought her out for help and she was willing to deliver. Ironically, out of all the metahumans Blacksmith had in her hands in her very illegal black market, she had suggested a person that she didn't control and wasn't a metahuman at all. "The person you're looking for, for that particular job, goes by the name Deathstroke", she had told him. And Elias had looked all over for him. Well, not him precisely. DeVoe had done a little research and had found Slade Wilson in Star City out of all places.

Elias made a beeline towards him, bumping in a more than a couple of people on his way. "Slade Wilson." He said as he reached the lonely man.

Slade, for his part, didn't make a move to acknowledge him. Instead, he continued staring pointlessly at his drink and tracing the lips of the glass. Undetermined, Elias sat on the stool next to him, but he didn't bother taking off his coat. He wouldn't be staying for long after all.

"My name is Dr. Darwin Elias." He continued.

Slade spared him one quick look with his one eye. "And I should care because?" he growled getting back to his drink.

"I have a situation and I believe that your...particular set of skills is the key to do the job." Elias said stoically.

To Elias' disappointment, Slade Wilson didn't look interested in the slightest.

"Again, why should I care?" Slade answered sounding more bored by the minute.

Elias gritted his teeth. He wanted to punch the man. Slade was getting on his nerves. "I am familiar with your involvement in a terrorist attack that occurred in Starling City in 2013."

Slade's good eye turned to glare at Elias. "Look doc, I'm not in the business anymore. Go look for assistance elsewhere. I'm busy."

"Looking for your son."

Before Elias could blink Slade had him pressed on the side of the wall, chocking him. The heavy look in his eye, while he glared at the doctor, could be described only as death itself. If looks could kill, Elias knew that he was already dead and didn't know it.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY SON?" Slade roared in his face.

"I. Can. Tell. You. Where. He. Is." He manages to choke, not being able to breathe from the grip that Slade has on his neck.

A few agonizing moments passed, with Slade staring through Elias, looking for signs of deceive. When he found none, he relaxed his grip and finally let go of him. Darwin crushed to his knees and breathed heavily trying to get oxygen back to his aching lungs.

"Tell me where he is." Slade demanded.

"I don't know." Elias said in a hoarse voice. Trying to talk hurt after his vocal cords had been almost crushed by Deathstroke.

Apparently, Slade didn't like his answer and made a move to grab him again. Before he could reach him again, Elias held his arm high and continued. "I don't know where you can find your son, but my colleague knows things."

That got the man's attention and lowered his hand. "What things?" he asked in his growling, demanding voice.

"Many things." Elias replied getting back on his feet. "We will reveal the location of your son if you do something for me."

"And what that may be?"

"I am interested in capturing the Flash, for reasons that don't concern you. But I can't do that when he is surrounded by his other vigilante friends. I want you to take care of them for me."

Upon hear Elias' offer, Slade's facial expression turned blank. Elias wasn't a master of reading people, but even he could tell that Slade was unreadable by anyone at this moment. Slade Wilson was thinking about Oliver Queen. He had promised that he would help him find Joe and the man had stayed true to his word. Their efforts had been futile up to this point, but that was hardly Oliver's fault. Of course, Slade knew that Oliver was the Green Arrow, but he didn't know the identities of the other heroes that paraded in these other cities. He knew one thing though. He wasn't going to kill Oliver, or anyone the archer knew for that matter. And this man had just asked him to do just that. Slade clenched his jaw.

"Sorry doc, but I'm not interested. I'll find my son on my own." 


	26. Ice powers and heartbreak

Chapter 26

Sara turned on the lights at Caitlin's apartment and rushed the woman inside. The young doctor walked shaking towards the couch, where Sara led her to sit.

"Ok, stay here. I'm going to make you some tea and I'm coming right back." She told her.

Caitlin nodded her head and Sara took it as confirmation to leave her. "The tea bags are in the top cupboard on the left." Sara heard Caitlin say.

It didn't take long for Sara to return. She left a hot cup of tea with vanilla flavor in front of Caitlin, who thanked her.

"Alright. Can you tell me what happened now?"

Caitlin felt a shiver run down her spine and she held the mug tighter in her palms seeking the warmth of the hot beverage to envelop her body. She brought the cup to her lips and although she knew it was burning, she sipped one-two-three large gulps.

"I left early from STAR labs to go do my grocery shopping because it had slipped my mind and I knew everyone else was at the lab if there was an emergency." She started telling Sara in a small voice. "I didn't take me long, I only grabbed a few necessary things. I was tired and it was getting late. I walked to my car and I let the bags down to get my keys. That's when I heard the click. "

" _Move around and don't try anything clever." A man's voice said._

 _Caitlin felt the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck rise. Her heart thundered inside her chest. Slowly she turned around while sticking her hand inside her purse to reach her phone and press the panic button. But her fear caused her to shake like a leaf causing her phone to slip from her hand. The man saw her. Caitlin saw the anger reflecting in his dark eyes and the next thing she knew her side was pressed on the window of her car and her cheek burned like hell. Her purse fell on the ground. The man pointed his gun at her face._

" _I said not to try anything clever." He growled in her face._

 _Caitlin felt the panic and fear build inside her. Both feelings rested on her chest, expanding inside her throat. She felt like she was drowning, suffocating. She wanted to scream, but her body couldn't move. The man pushed her purse away from her with his foot._

" _I can't have you calling 911 now." His voice mocked her, while he came closer. "You are going to stay right here and you're not going to move, while I take the money you have inside that purse of yours." He grabbed her from the jacket and moved his face right in front of hers. "You understand me?"_

 _Caitlin could only shake, but she managed to nod her head slightly. But then something else caught his attention. His hand left her jacket and with care he touched her special necklace into his palm. The man grinned sadistically._

" _And I will be taking this as well. What kind of rock it this?"_

 _For the first time, Caitlin felt her voice come back to her. "You can't take this. Please, I need it." She pleaded desperately. But the man just chuckled. How could he know what would happen if he took this necklace from Caitlin's neck? "I'm begging you, please. You have no idea what is going to happen if you take this."_

" _Oh, but I know. I'm going to be a rich man." He laughed and snapped the chain. Then he brought it in front of his face to have a better look._

 _Caitlin felt immediately Killer Frost claw inside her head, trying to come to the surface. And she heard her chilly voice mocking her._

 _ **Let me out, Caity, let me out.**_

 _ **You know I'm the stronger one of the two.**_

 _ **You are weak.**_

 _ **Let me tear him apart.**_

 _Caitlin couldn't exactly tell at what point she lost the battle with Killer Frost. Maybe it was the next time she heard the thief talk and a shiver of fear rushed through her. But Caitlin felt herself be pushed down, while Killer Frost emerged._

" _ **You should have listened to Caitlin."**_ _She heard herself say in the cold voice of Killer Frost. What happened next was a blur. Caitlin couldn't retain most of the memories she had as Killer Frost._

"And how are you _you_ again? How did you push Killer Frost back down?" Sara asked, trying not to look too concerned –for Caitlin's shake.

Caitlin shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. My guess is that she must have been weak from the cure I was taking and hadn't regained her strength. I- she must have passed out because I woke up as Caitlin and there was ice all around me and some blood. I looked for the thief, but I couldn't find him anywhere. My stuff was there though. So, I put my necklace back on fearing that Killer Frost might come back and I left and came straight to STAR labs, where I found you."

Sara sighed and rubbed soothingly Caitlin's arm. "It's ok girl. We're gonna figure this out."

#

Josh and Kyle laughed filling the last bag of money. They had broken into National City bank and they were going to leave with ten million dollars. The news had shown that Supergirl hadn't been around lately as much as she used to. So, both Kyle and Josh thought that this was the perfect opportunity to rob the bank. As they exited the vault a familiar flying figure landed in front of them.

"Where do you think you're going with that money?" Supergirl asked them folding her hands in front of her chest making the symbol of the house of El pop up even more.

The two robbers shared a quick look and then simultaneously let the bags fall and pulled out two big guns. Josh fired at the Kryptonian. Supergirl looked unfazed at her shoulder, where the shot had landed and then she returned her attention back to the robbers. She rolled her eyes.

"Laser guns? Really?" she looked at them like they were stupid.

"Get out of our way bitch." Kyle growled. They both felt a tap on their heads and fell unconscious on the floor.

"That's not a way to speak to a lady. Didn't your mother teach you manners?" Mon-El said standing behind them.

Kara smiled at him. "You should have told them that before you knocked them out." She told him.

Mon-El huffed jokily. "Yea well..."

Kara laughed. "Anyway, why did you come, they were only a couple of thieves, not a dangerous alien."

"Well, I haven't seen you a lot these past few days and I missed you." Mon-El told her. "And I wanted to tell you that I finally finished reading Romeo and Juliet."

Kara gasped. "No way. Really?"

Mon-El nodded. "I did. Very sad ending by the way, I cried for hours. Why did they have to die? Couldn't they have a happy ending? Isn't that what romance books are supposed to be about?" he pouted but then grinned again. "But I started a new one. It's called Fifty Shades of Grey."

Kara suddenly stopped walking and her blue eyes bulged. "Where did you find that book? I don't have it."

"Oh, Winn gave it to me. Why?"

Kara shook her head. "Nothing. Just next time don't take anything Winn gives you." Before Mon-El could respond a call came through Kara's earpiece. Kara's expression turned worried. "Ok, I'll be right there." She said. "Alex said she needed me. Can you keep an eye on the city for me?"

Mon-El nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. Go check on your sister. I'll be fine."

"Thank you." Kara gave him a kiss before she flew away.

Alex was a sobbing mess when Kara knocked on her door. The Kryptonian sighed before enveloping her sister in a hug.

"I take it you spoke with Maggie." She spoke softly lowering herself on the couch.

Looking around her she could see that Alex had already opened a bottle of wine and drunk half of it before calling her. Kara turned to her sister again and rested a hand on her knee. Alex wiped her tears and got out a tissue from her jacket's pocket.

"Kara I think it's over." She managed to say before bursting into tears once again.

"Oh, honey." Kara mumbled taking her into her embrace again.

They stood like this for what felt like hours. Alex sobbing and Kara holding her, rubbing her back and whispering meaningless soothing words to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked her when Alex calmed down.

"We had a fight." She said simply. "I told her that I wanted to have kids someday. That I always knew that I wanted to have them. She told me that I should have told her that sooner. I told her that I tried to compromise. That I thought I could live without that dream because I loved her so much. But that I realized that I couldn't do it. That one day I would be miserable without kids." She sniffed and then continued. "I asked her if she could see herself wanting to have kids one day in the future, she said no. She was adamant about it. And then she said that we had to do what was right for both of us. She said that as much as it hurt her she couldn't be with me if she wasn't enough for me to be happy. And then she walked out the door."

Kara felt her heart hurting for her sister. All Kara wanted was for Alex to be happy. Seeing her hurting like this hurt her as well. "I'm sorry." She whispered rubbing circles on Alex's arm.

"Do you think I did the right thing? I mean, what if I made a huge mistake? We were happy. We were so happy together."

Kara licked her lips looking at the desperation on her sister's face. Then finally she shook her head. "No, I don't think you made a mistake." Alex opened her mouth to respond, but Kara stopped her. "Alex, if you felt like down the road you wanted something more with your relationship with Maggie, then you had the right to seek it out. If you felt like this wasn't going to work out and that hole from not having kids would mean a miserable life for both you and her, then it's best that it ended now and not before it was too late."

"I feel like I want to die." Alex cried.

"You and Maggie had something special. But that doesn't mean that it will be the only time you'll experience something so amazing. You will have your happy ending, Alex. I'll make sure of it." She promised.

"How are you going to make sure of it?" Alex asked doubtful.

Kara just smiled mysteriously. "It's one of my superpowers." She said gaining a small chuckle for Alex.

The girls filled their glasses with wine once again. "I don't know if I can get through this." Alex admitted.

Kara looked sad at her sister. She wanted to help her feel better. And then she got an idea. "You know what you need?"

Alex drowned the rest of her wine. "What?"

"A girls night." She answered. "Yep. One night, just girls. It'll help get your mind off of things."

#

Cisco stirred in his sleep. The engineer had been having a hard time sleeping the last few days. He usually blamed it due to the tiredness of the all-nighters he had pulled off this week. But that didn't explain why he woke up every night screaming until his throat closed. He hadn't told Caitlin yet. He didn't want her to baby him. Unfortunately, he couldn't remember what scared him half to death. Cisco's eyes fluttered as the vibe hit him.

 _Cisco was working on a few equations on the glass board when a breach opened in his workshop. The unauthorized breach triggered the alarm he had placed in case any villains from another universe invaded. Cisco didn't even feel the marker fall from his hands as he raised them ready to fight whoever jumped out of the portal. When Gypsy fell through, Cisco visibly relaxed and lowered his hands. But his expression turned into one of worry as soon as he saw the state that she was in. Gypsy looked beaten. Cisco had never seen her defeated and it upset him. No, actually it terrified him. Because whoever was capable of doing this much damage to her they were seriously powerful. Gypsy fell broken into Cisco's arms, as the portal closed behind her._

" _Gypsy!" Cisco found that he could only speak her name in horror. The cuts and bruises on her face would be imprinted in his mind forever._

" _You have to help us." She spoke weakly. Her eyes flattered ready to close – Cisco hopped not forever._

 _Cisco panicked. "No! Gypsy! Gypsy stay with me." He shook her desperate to keep her awake. "Caitlin!" he yelled. "Caitlin help!"_

 _Cisco thanked every God out there when Caitlin arrived in no time. The doctor froze for a second upon the sight in front of her, but she recovered quickly and ordered Cisco to bring her fast to the medical bay and lay her down. Gypsy caught Cisco's arm._

" _Please, protect my Earth." Were her last words before Caitlin sedated her._

Cisco woke up screaming once again. The hair on the back of his neck was wet with sweat, just as his forehead and chest area. Cisco breathed heavily feeling his chest tighten. He feared for a moment that he was having a heart attack. No, he realized, these nightmares weren't from the exhaustion and the overwork. He was having visions of the future. Cisco felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn't stomach the sight of Gypsy like this even when he didn't know where their relationship stood, especially since he hadn't heard from her for months. Cisco slowly got up from his bed still shaking slightly from the vibe. He needed a drink.

Cisco had just ordered his first drink when Barry arrived. Vibe had struggled with his decision to call his friend to meet him, but in the end, the desperate need to talk to his friend won and so he had woken the speedster up in the middle of the night. Not that Barry had complained. He was a good friend and rushed to his aid. Cisco had debated calling Caitlin as well, but she had seemed a little off to him this past week and she spent a lot of time with Sara. Doing what, Cisco had no clue. He had been busy going with Winn at the D.E.O and taking a look at the alien portal and then overworked himself replicating it, along with coming up with ideas to extract information out of the crystal Felicity, Kara and Winn had brought from the Fortress of Solitude. So he had decided against it.

"Hey man." Barry greeted Cisco taking off his jacket.

Cisco looked up and gave his friend a nod. "Hey, thanks for coming. I didn't want to disturb you this late –or early I suppose, but..."

"Hey, no worries. I'm your friend Cisco, I'm always here for you." Barry put a comforting hand on Cisco's shoulder. "What is going on with you? On the phone, the way you sounded...it worried me. What happened?"

"I..uh..." he licked his lips. "I've been having nightmares the last couple of weeks." He admitted softly.

The bartender set a colorful drink in front of Cisco and asked Barry if he wanted something, which Barry declined politely. Cisco grabbed the drink immediately wanting to do something with his hands.

"What kind of nightmares?" Barry's voice was filled with his concern and compassion.

The other man first shrugged his shoulders and tightened his lips. Then he brought the drink to his lips and downed half its contents. Barry's green eyes bulged at the sight.

"Hey, bro. Slow down, take it easy."

"They're about Gypsy." Cisco finally said and then the speedster understood. "I see her coming through a breach and she is all bloodied and broken. She looks almost dead. And she asks me to help her world."

Cisco's eyesight blurred. No! He wasn't going to cry. Not when Gypsy was the one who left him without an explanation. He turned to look at Barry. He had a sad look on his face.

"That's deep man." He spoke softly.

"It's a vibe."

Cisco felt Barry's comforting hand on his shoulder again. He felt slightly better for a moment. Barry always had that effect on people, whether it was a comforting hand, a comforting look or comforting words. Cisco was now glad that he did call his friend.

"I know that when I came back from the speedforce you never told me what happened between you and her. And I didn't ask because I didn't want to pressure you to open up because I felt like it was a sore subject for you. So I let you come to me when you were ready. But Cisco I don't think you have that luxury anymore. These vibes may be connected to why she's not here. Please, you know you can tell me anything."

"I don't know." Cisco almost snapped. He closed his eyes and took a breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry. I just...I don't know why she left." He cried. "We were fine, nothing was wrong. And one day I wake up and I find a note saying that she couldn't stay any longer and not to come and find her." He explained, a painful expression clouding his usually cheerful face. "So, I don't know what the hell went wrong. And now I have these vibes. What am I supposed to do with them?" he asked his friend. "I mean, she left cause she didn't want me anymore and it's not like I can breach to Earth-19 for a chat because world-hopping is forbidden there and I'll probably end up losing my head. So I just...I feel like all of this is drowning me and I don't know what to do."

"Hey, it going to be ok. We will figure this out together. All of us. You are not alone Cisco, I promise." Barry promised him.

Cisco nodded, feeling the weight of his unleashed tears threatening to escape. "Thank you." He chocked.

Barry nodded in return. "Want a hug?" he asked.

Cisco let out a small chuckle hearing this. "Yes, please." He said in a small voice and then he felt Barry's arms wrap around him in a warm, comforting hug.

#

Barry raced through the streets of Central City leaving his signature lightning trail behind him. The citizens smiled upon feeling - more than seeing- the scarlet speedster and sent a quiet blessing towards the direction he was running. Barry had received a message from Oliver three minutes ago telling him to meet him in front of Samantha Clayton's new apartment. He knew from Oliver that Samantha wasn't thrilled with the idea of returning to the city, but apparently, William was very good at convincing his mother –he had begged and begged and begged until the woman had finally given in.

"Thanks for coming so quickly." Oliver told him with appreciation when Barry stopped in front of the man.

"It's ok." He waved it away. "I only had one easy case today and I just got out of the lab. Are they waiting for us?"

"Yes, they are inside."

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't ask Felicity to tutor William."

Oliver made a strange face. "It's complicated. It has been going well with Felicity lately. Steady and slow, get back to our rhythm, but she is still just my girlfriend and she is not William's mother. I just didn't want to upset him. I mean, I could be wrong but I think it's too early and I didn't want to take the risk." He explained.

"I get it."

"Besides, I think that you are more suited."

Oliver didn't have the chance to see if Barry would object with his reply or not because Samantha opened the door greeting them both and welcoming them inside. Oliver could see William waiting excited inside. The kid was hyped for some reason and moving uncontrollably looking like he wanted to pee.

"Samantha, this is my friend Barry." Oliver introduced them.

The woman reached out to shake the speedster's hand. "Hi, I remember you."

Barry blushed and chuckled awkwardly. "Thankfully this time we meet under better circumstances."

"Indeed." Samantha agreed. "But I thought you were a CSI, not a teacher."

Barry quickly shook his head, but Oliver beat him to the answer. "Barry is the best at what he does, that's why I wanted him to tutor William. Trust me, his knowledge is much better than any teacher."

"Let's just hope that I can actually pass what I know to William too." Barry chuckled. "Not everyone has transmissibility."

Oliver patted his back. "You'll be fine." And Barry read the silent words _"I believe in you"_ hidden in his tone.

Then the brunet's eyes turned to the younger boy, who had approached closer while the adults spoke. "And you must be William."

William moved forward eyeing Barry from top to bottom with calculative eyes that screamed Oliver Queen's son. "Nice to meet you." He said a little forced but polite, shaking the speedster's hand.

Barry smiled brightly. "You too."

"Hi, Oliver." William then said to his father.

A loving look appeared on Oliver's face and the archer smiled at his son. "Hello, buddy."

But William was still looking at Barry weirdly and somewhat disappointed. Sensing her son's mood, Samantha looked down at him and put a hand on his shoulder. "William, what is it?"

William tried not to look disappointed and shrugged. "Nothing. I'm fine."

But Oliver now could see it too. "Hey, it's alright to tell us."

William looked between the three of them and gave Barry an apologizing smile. "I just...when you said that you have a friend in Central City, I just thought that I would meet the Flash."

Samantha sighed understanding now. Oliver wanted to curse out loud, the boy had expressed a big interest in the fact that Oliver knew the scarlet speedster. And Barry tried not to laugh at the irony that William had indeed just met the Flash. He just didn't know it. Oliver gave Barry the don't-you-dare-laugh glare, which amused the speedster even more.

"How do you know that I'm not him?" he asked gaining another death glare from Oliver, which Barry ignored.

"What are you doing?" the archer muttered under his breath.

But William was giving Barry a look of disbelieve and he stared at him from head to toe again. "Sorry, but you don't exactly look like you can fight metahumans. The Flash is a badass-"

"And I don't scream powerful metahuman." Barry finished his sentence grinning. He then turned to Oliver and discreetly raised one eyebrow. "See?" he whispered. "I'm sorry that I'm not who you were hoping." He said back to William.

William shrugged his shoulders. "It's ok. One can only hope right?"

"Right. So are you ready to get started?" William nodded his head. "Ok then, lead the way."

"We'll be right here." Oliver said as William showed Barry the way to his bedroom.

#

Caitlin cringed eyeing with distaste the cup Sara had placed in front of her.

"Is that going to poison me?" she asked skeptically.

Sara gave her an are-you-for-real look. "No, it's just tea."

Caitlin shook her head. "That's not tea. It makes me want to puke just by looking at it."

"It's from rare healing herbs. We used them when I was in the League of Assassins." Sara explained.

"Then why does it smell so bad?"Caitlin complained.

"Will you just drink it?" Sara asked impatiently.

Caitlin pursed her lips. "Fine."

Sara let out a sigh of relief and sat down on a mat. Then she signalized Caitlin to do the same.

"Are we doing yoga?" the doctor asked.

"Not yoga." Sara replied. "Meditation. It's the key to get control of your inner self." She explained. "Now copy my stance and clear your mind."

But Caitlin only frowned. "That's impossible."

Sara opened her eyes and willed herself not to glare at the other woman. "Listen, Caitlin, I've been through this. If you want to control your inner killer the only way you can do that is to stop being afraid of it and accept that part of you. The more you try to reject it, the more it will have control over you. And the best way to do that is with meditation. Now close your eyes and relax, clear your mind."

"No, you don't understand. What I meant is that it's impossible for me to clear my head. People that have inclination for exact sciences, like mathematics, physics and chemistry, their brains function nonstop. "

"So what you're saying is that your brain never shut's up." Sara concluded. "Even when you sleep?" Caitlin shook her head. Sara made a face. "Shucks to be you. Ok, then we find another way." She sighed thinking. "I have an idea. I've never done this before, but I heard that it works."

"What is it?"

"How do you feel about a vision quest?"

#

"Do you want to take a break?" Barry asked.

"Please. My head is about to explode." William groaned making Barry chuckle.

The two of them had been doing physics for the last hour and thirty-five minutes. William had been counting. At one point Samantha had pocked her head inside William's bedroom asking them if they wanted anything, but other than that they had no interruptions.

"So..." the boy started shyly. "How do you know Oliver? You're not a superhero and you don't seem like the type he would usually hang out with?"

Barry took the opportunity that was given to him. "I saved his life actually." He said watching William widen his eyes. "Want to hear a story?"

William couldn't nod his head fast enough. "Sure."

"Alright." Barry said and closed the books they had laying on the desk. "That was four...almost five years ago. There was a strange case in Starling City and I was always obsessed with weird, unexplained cases back then, even before all these metahumans existed. I was searching for the impossible. So I went to investigate and it turned out to be that someone super strong had broken into one of your father's facilities and had stolen something."

"Is that where you met Oliver?"

"Yes – and Felicity was with him of course. And it's safe to say that Oliver didn't quite like me at first or better he didn't take me seriously." He said gaining a giggle from William. "Not that I blame him. I mean I was just a twenty-four years old stranger with the craziest theory of the impossible. Hell, even I wouldn't believe me if I was Oliver." He chuckled. "Anyway, because Oliver was the Vigilante back then or the Hood, he obviously didn't want the police getting involved and decided to keep the investigation private. Felicity asked for my help because she's not a forensics expert and we actually found a lead. That night he went out as the Vigilante to fight the person but ended up getting injected with something that made his blood thick. And because he couldn't go to a hospital and give away his identity, his team kidnapped me in order to save him."

William's eyes bulged again. "Kidnapped you?"

Barry nodded. "Yep, they drugged me and I woke up in the lair seeing Oliver dying wearing the green suit. It was a sock, but I didn't have the time to dwell on it or he would have died."

"But you saved him."

"I did. And you know the very first thing he did when he woke up?" William shook his head. "He tried to choke me to death."

William burst out laughing. "No way."

"Yes way."Barry told him laughing too.

"So, did he stop that man? Was he really the impossible?"

Barry gave William a tight smile. "Well, it turned out that it wasn't just one man, but yes he stopped them. Eventually. And he had a lot of help. But no, none of them was the impossible, they were just men that had taken really strong steroids."

William smiled pleased with Barry's story. Then suddenly he frowned. "There's something that I don't understand though." He said. Barry urged him to continue. "You said that you were looking for the impossible when you went to Starling City, like superpowers." he waited for a confirmation and when Barry gave him a silent _"yes"_ he continued. "But I thought that as a scientist that works for the police you wouldn't believe in this stuff. I thought people like you follow the evidence and what can be proven by the physics that already exists."

William's realization made Barry smile. He was a smart kid. It was also the direction he wanted the conversation to go. If he wanted to get the kid to open up, he needed to tell him about his past. But Barry couldn't come up and say it without a reason. The only thing that would accomplice was that William would understand what his real purpose here was and would close up even more. So he let William ask the question.

"You are right." He said licking his lips. "And I would probably think like you said if I had a normal life. But you see..." Barry paused for a second. "When I was eleven years old I saw the impossible with my own eyes."

"But there weren't any metahumans back then." William objected.

Barry shook his head muttering a quiet "no". "But one night something came into the house I was living with my mom and dad. It was a man inside a lightning bolt. That was the night I started believing in the impossible and the night I lost my parents." He finished quietly.

He looked at William. The boy had many emotions on his face. Barry could recognize sadness, pain, sock, maybe even guilt for bringing Barry painful memories. He could also see that he had questions. But Barry wasn't sure if William was ready to ask them or to have them answered. So he decided to give him time to think over the information he gave him.

"Maybe I'll tell you more next time. If you want." He told William, who nodded his head. Then he got up. "Come on. We've done enough studying for today."

#

"Slade didn't agree to do the job." Dr. Elias stormed enraged at Blacksmith's secret hideout in Central City.

The crime lord rolled her eyes at the dramatic entrance of Elias and with a wave dismissed the men around her, all but one. "I realized that from the twenty minutes you yelled at me over the phone. I didn't appreciate that by the way."

"You promised that he was the man." He huffed not caring how dangerous the woman was.

Blacksmith remained nonchalant, despite Elias fuming a few meters ahead of her. "He is." She assured him. "We just have to convince him –well we don't exactly have to. I want you to meet my associate. William Zard. Mr. Zard can make everyone do his bidding."

Elias eyed suspiciously the man who hadn't left the room with the others. He was kind of old, but not too old and he had a weird mustache. From his appearance, the scientist wasn't impressed. "He's a metahuman?"

"No, he is a wizard." Blacksmith replied tightening her lips.

Elias snorted. "Magic isn't real."

"You scientists are so ignorant and full of yourselves." the Wizard spoke in a strange accent.

Before the men started arguing about what was real or not Blacksmith spoke again. She knew how the minds of these men worked and predicted the argument. Hence she wanted to put an end to it before it began. "Do you have the serum I asked?" her cold black eyes looked straight into Elias soul.

"Of course I have it." he replied offended. "It was difficult to replicate, but the Mirakuru serum is ready."

"Give it to me." the Wizard extended his hand.

Elias hesitated not trusting or believing the man until Blacksmith glared at him and then nodded with her head to give the vial. William took it from Elias' hands with a satisfied cat-like smirk on his face. Then he started talking to a foreign language. The vial glowed for a moment before returning to its original color again.

"What did you do to it?" Elias asked taking the vial back.

"I cast an enhancement to make it stronger. The Green Arrow has already found the cure to the Mirakuru. But without magic, that won't reverse the effects."

Blacksmith nodded her head pleased. "Good. Now all you need to do is to inject Mr. Slade with it. William will come with you for help. I doubt you can restrain Deathstroke."


	27. Diverse attack

Chapter 27

Iris West parked her car two blocks away from the precinct. She had taken an early lunch break which she intended to spend with her fiancé and her father. Iris held her coat closer to her body. The weather had gotten drastically colder the deeper they got into December. Central City didn't have a particularly cold winter thus far, so Iris guessed it was only going to get worse from now on.

"Mrs. West." She heard a voice call to her.

A little surprised Iris turned to seek the voice. Her face paled slightly when she saw who it was. Dr. Elias walked long, fast paces to catch up with her. "Iris, I am so glad that I stumbled upon you." He said cheerfully.

Iris tried not to frown. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling this 'unexpected' meeting wasn't unexpected at all. "Dr. Elias. How wonderful it is to see you here." She offered him a fake smile.

Elias gave her a smile of his own, showing off his pearly white teeth. "Indeed. I have to say this is not a place I would expect to meet you.

Iris tried not to roll her eyes. "On the contrary. I'm visiting my fiancé at the station."

"Oh, of course." Elias gasped with realization. "The fiancé, how could I forget? I guess it still wonders me how a bright woman such as yourself could be engaged to someone like Mr. Allen." At his words, Iris felt the anger from insulting Barry burn inside her, but before she could explode at the doctor, Elias' eyes bulged and added quickly. "Because of his line of work I mean. Reporters and policemen usually don't mix well together."

"Well, Barry and I have been together since childhood." Well, that wasn't necessarily true –not in the way Iris let it be implied- but Elias didn't have to know that. "Is there a reason as to why you wanted to talk to me doctor?" she asked slightly impatient.

"Of course. I thought I'd drop by CCPN, but I didn't want to seem too pushy. I was wondering if you had talked to the Flash about my proposal."

Now it all made sense. Iris tried not to visually freeze. "Actually, the Flash has been a little busy with heroics to come over for interviews. I don't have a direct line to him, doctor, but you have my word that the next time he meets with me I will ask him."

Elias seemed pleased with her response. Maybe a little disappointed, but pleased nonetheless. "Thank you, Mrs. West. I will leave you to your way. Please extend my greetings to Mr. Allen."

As soon as Elias left, Iris felt like she could breathe again. She hurried the rest of the distance. Barry didn't have the luxury to avoid the subject any longer. He had to talk with the rest of the League and make a decision.

#

That night everyone got online to video chat. Felicity had created a secure network so they could be sure that no one was listening in on their conversation. On one window Oliver was frowning with Felicity, reminding Barry of the early times of his relationship with the man. Barry had just finished explaining to the team of his encounter with Dr. Elias and what the man had wanted from his superhero persona. As expected the opinions were plenty.

"It could be a trap." Oliver immediately growled.

Sara from Caitlin's living room agreed with her longtime friend. "He could have an ulterior motive. Lure you in with false pretenses and do God knows what. It wouldn't be a first."

Barry nodded his head. He had this same thought too. That's why he wanted everyone in the know.

Kara from her own apartment made a funny expression and then pushed her hair behind her ear. "But what if it's not a trap?" she opposed. "If Dr. Elias' intentions are legit, think of the good Barry will be doing to the world."

From what Barry could see Oliver was about to explode at the Kryptonian. Perhaps tell her how irresponsible and careless she was being for suggesting something like that. Fortunately for everyone's ears, Felicity jumped in to stop him.

"I have to agree with Kara." Stein said from next to Jax. "If this device can do all the things Dr. Elias promises, it will be evolutionary to contribute in his work. All the possibilities, the problems it will solve... it's astonishing." He gushed with excitement.

Jax, however, didn't share the professor's excitement. "But think of all the problems it will create too." He objected. "If everything got powered from the Speedforce, then the energy companies will no longer be needed. People will lose their jobs, hundreds of people, maybe millions. Think about what his will do to the economy of the country, hell to the entire world if it expands."

Stein, though, didn't seem to be on the same page. "But think of the environmental benefits Jefferson. No more pollution. Nature will get healthier again."

"But at what cost Martin?" Sara asked.

"I'm not saying that we shouldn't be careful, Sara." The professor said reassuringly. "But we have to examine all the possibilities before we throw this chance away."

"I stand with Professor Stein." Kara spoke again. "We own this to everyone to think this through before we make our final decision."

Oliver was shaking his head. He didn't agree with the two of them. He smelled disaster from a mile away. If only his teammates could see things as he did. Felicity put a hand on his arm. It worked soothing his frustration. She smiled sweetly at him and Oliver felt his insides warm with the love he felt for her.

"What do the rest of you think?" Barry's voice broke the spell between them, making Oliver turn his head to face the laptop screen.

Barry, for his part, was grateful for everyone's input on the subject. Cisco, Caitlin and Ray though hadn't shared what they thought. And his best friends' opinion was what mattered most to the speedster.

"I support whatever you decide, Barry. I'm with you one hundred percent." Caitlin waved her head, brown curls and her familiar supporting expression.

Caitlin was going to stand beside her friend no matter what. After four years of doing this together, Caitlin had learned that most of Barry's decisions were the best. They might not seem like they are in the beginning (and he has surely made mistakes), but in the end, they turned out to be correct. And Caitlin trusted him. Through thick and thin she was going to support whatever Barry felt it was best.

"What do you think you should do?" Was Cisco's answer.

Barry bit his lip. "That's mostly why I wanted to bring this to you all. I can't decide. On one hand, I'm very suspicious." He admitted making Oliver smirk with pride. "But on the other, if Elias tells the truth it's an opportunity that I can't miss." He sighed and ran his hand through his short hair. "I-uh...I don't know what to do."

Cisco nodded understanding exactly what Barry meant. "Then I say we find out if this proposal is legit or not before we make a decision."

Multiple heads nodded agreeing with Cisco. "I agree with Cisco." Ray said.

"Alright." Barry was nodding as well, his chest lighter now that they were going somewhere with this discussion.

"Then we investigate first." Kara's voice echoed in their ears. "Oliver do you have a plan?"

The archer was nodding his head before he realized that he did. Even though he was absolutely sure that Elias was full of crap, he realized that investigating was very much reasonable. Besides if it turned out that he was right about Elias, they needed evidence to bust his doctor ass to prison.

"Barry you will meet with Dr. Elias as the Flash in a time and place of your choosing. Don't warn him. Just show up and run him somewhere. Get him to give you as many details you can think of. Maybe the rest of us can listen in on the conversation too. I can give you some guidance in interrogating someone." Oliver spoke making Barry cringe at his last sentence. The speedster remembered how Oliver had interrogated a man when the Flash had helped the Arrow the first time. It was the reason for one of their first fights.

"That can be arranged." Cisco added seeing the heads nodding, all willing to help with the cause.

"Perfect. Thank you guys." Barry let out a breath. He smiled gratefully at them. "When can you do it?"

#

Kara was setting the goblets and a bottle of red wine on her coffee table when there was a knock on her door. Kara let out squeal making Lena laugh and Alex roll her yes. Then the blonde hurried to answer the door before the girls brought it down. Sure enough there they all stood. Her support group - Kara liked to call them. Iris, Felicity, Caitlin, Sara and even Dinah were here.

"Alright." Sara barged into Kara's apartment loud like she always was. "I heard there is free wine served today and I came to drink all your bottles. Hi, I'm Sara." She introduced herself to Lena, who shook her hand with a smile, impressed at the forwardness of the woman.

"Lena Luthor."

"Luthor ha? I hear from Kara that you are nothing like Lex. That's refreshing to hear." Iris spoke next.

Next to the reporter, Felicity made a strange face. "So you are like the good ship of the family."

Lena laughed and nodded pleasantly her head. "That's an interesting way to put it. But yes, I am trying hard to clear the Luthor name, to make it stand for something good and positive. Unfortunately, most people hear the name Luthor and immediately think the worst."

"That's sad to hear." Caitlin gave her an apologetic smile. "Everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves."

What Caitlin left out, but the rest of the women picked up was that this line applied to her too. Iris knew first handed the straggle Caitlin was and is still going through to keep Killer Frost at bay so that she won't hurt anyone. And as for Kara, Felicity, Sara, Dinah and Alex, they all had heard the sorrowful tale of the young doctor. They all could relate to her in one way or the other. They all had dark sides whether it was caused by red Kryptonite or resurrecting pits, dark pasts, or it was part of them in general. The ladies of the League shared a knowing look, but none said anything. Then Kara shook her head and laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry-sorry, I'm a terrible host. Um, Lena, these are my friends Iris, Felicity and Caitlin." She pointed at the women. "The quiet one is Dinah and I guess you already met Sara."

The assassin waved playfully her fingers. Kara's blue eyes stayed on her hand. She hadn't noticed it before, but Sara seemed to be loving rings since she wore more than a couple just in that one. Well...at least Kara knew what she was going to get her for her birthday.

"So," Sara took one glass in one hand and set the other around Alex's back, as the rest of the girls sat around the coffee table making a circle. "I heard you had a rough break up. It's ok, it happens to the best of us."

Alex felt small with Sara's arm around her. She didn't know what it was about the assassin (she blamed it on her break up with Maggie) but she wanted to crawl into a ball. However, she nodded slightly her head and brought the wine to her lips. Alex saw Kara wanting to glare at her from across the couch, where she was sitting with Lena and Caitlin. The Kryptonian knew that her sister had drunk more than enough wine already, but was unsure what to do about it because of how much Alex was hurting.

"I don't think that is actually going to help her." Dinah said to Sara.

In return, Sara made a face. "What? It could be worse. It could be like my sister." She shot back. "First she was dating Oliver, who at the time was cheating on her with every female that had walking legs including me. And then she dated his best friend, who died." She waved her hand that was holding her glass. "And her last boyfriend was a murderer."

"I haven't heard you talk about Laurel." Caitlin spoke softly.

A dark cloud emerged over Sara's face. The assassin felt the familiar tightness in her chest that she got every time she thought about her sister. She thought that she had gotten over Laurel's loss last year, but now she could tell that she clearly hadn't.

"Yea..." she let the word drag out. "It's hard talking about Laurel. I guess because I still blame myself for her death. I wasn't there to protect her and..."

The sorrow in Sara's heart spread into the girls around her. Kara, Iris, Caitlin and Felicity lowered their heads not being able to look Sara in the eyes. Dinah bit her lip and tried to make herself smaller. Out of every woman in Kara's apartment, Dinah was the one that felt the most awful out of them all. Having taken the mantle of the deceased Black Canary and now facing her sister –who happens to be the most badass woman in the world- Dinah couldn't help but feel like she may have taken the mantle too soon. A part of her felt like she was replacing the legend of Laurel Lance and Dinah didn't want that. When she had first met Sara and learned that she was Laurel's younger sister, Dinah was worried that Sara would be mad at her for taking over her sister's mantle. But Sara didn't say anything to her. Instead, the assassin had asked them all to spar and after Sara had kicked everyone's ass, she had taken Dinah aside and told her that she deserved to be the next Black Canary.

"Anyway." Iris cleared her throat. "If we are talking about failed past relationship perhaps I should mention that my first fiancé killed himself."

Felicity snorted loudly. "You can't talk Miss I-found-my-soulmate-since-I-was-eight." The computer wiz glared playfully at her friend.

The girls and even Alex laughed. "What does she mean?" Lena asked as she was the only one who didn't know about Iris and Barry's relationship.

#

It was a slow day at CCPD. Detective Joe West counted down the minutes for his sift to end so that he could go home and spend some quality time with his son Wally –and if the Speedforce allowed it, Barry and Iris too. He sank his teeth into the chocolate filled and frosted donut savoring the heavenly taste of the sweet. He figured if he was going to break his healthy routine he might as well go all the way. Joe saw his newest partner moving towards him practicing a devilish smirk on his face. Detective Heart knew that Joe was breaking the rules and didn't bother hiding that he knew. _Arrogant piece of..._ , Joe shook his head. Ok, no. He couldn't think about his partner in that way. Heart might be too young to be a detective, but Joe had already gone through that experience with Barry and like his not-by-blood son, detective Heart was very good at his job. No wonder he was more confident than he should. Despite that, he was always polite, never rude and he respected Joe. So what more could he ask from the guy? To be honest, Joe was hesitant to take a new partner. After Chyre and Eddie and then finally Patty, Joe was worried that he might be cursed or something. After all his previous partners ended up dead or transferred (though Joe preferred the later rather than the first). But still, despite all his doubts Heart had proven himself.

"Naughty boy." Detective Heart teased Joe, his eyes shining with mischief.

Joe frowned, he didn't want the kid to walk all over him in the just few weeks he had started. "Mind your own damn business August." He growled.

His partner snickered. "It's so much fun to tease you."

Joe opened his mouth to give him a piece of his mind, but before he could Captain Singh came out of his office looking alarmed. "Listen up everyone." He shouted gaining the attention of every officer in the bullpen. Even those who were upstairs rushed to hear what the Captain had to say.

Joe spotted Barry near the staircase. The two made eye contact. A silent agreement passed between them. The look in each other's eyes told the other everything they needed to know. Barry gave an abrupt nod. That's how Joe knew that Barry would Flash out immediately if the Captain's call was about an emergency.

"There is a bombing and hostage situation at the new Italian place on Main Street. The only thing we know so far is that the bomb is under a costumer's chair. We are not aware of any more bombs inside or outside the building. Ransom has not been demanded, so it's probably a terrorist attack." Captain Singh informed them. "Gather your gear. Every unit is requested to join the bomb squad. Head out." He ordered.

Joe and Barry shared a look. The next time Joe blinked Barry was already gone. A few seconds later the gust of wind reached his skin. Joe said a little silent prayer inside his head. _Let him make it!_

#

Iris rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. It had become some kind of meme between her, Felicity and Caitlin how she and Barry always loved each other but only recently got together.

"What she means is that me and my fiancé, Barry, have known and loved each other since practically kindergarten, but I was too stubborn to confront my feeling for him and Barry was too afraid to admit his to me. So we only recently got together."

Lena was having a starstruck expression on her face. Iris' story had brought a lovable, genuine, big smile on her bright red lips. She could feel the love Iris felt for her fiancé from the way she spoke about him and the lovestruck look she got. Lena wanted that too. She wanted to love someone unconditionally and be loved just as much. Unfortunately, her attempts at love were not so great. There was only one man she had felt a deep connection with, but because life doesn't want her happy they had parted ways too.

"That's very amazing, you are so lucky, Iris." She told the woman sincerely. "It's very difficult to find that person who is your other half."

Iris blushed and smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm just telling the truth how I see it." Lena chuckled and then added. "I feel jealous now. I haven't been very lucky with love, whether it is about the other sex or people generally. Until I met Kara of course." She added quickly and made a funny expression at the blonde Kryptonian, making Kara laugh. "I am very lucky to have such a great friend like you Kara. I think you can all agree with me."

Multiple _"yes"_ were echoed in the small apartment. Kara felt her cheeks burning up, as she blushed scarlet red. "You guys...Stop..." she whined playfully, before snorting.

The rest of the girls just laughed. Alex started feeling her chest lighter. The more the girls were talking the more she was forgetting about Maggie. A ghost smile appeared on her lips –too small to be detected by anyone, not even Sara from next to her. Kara was right after all. A girls' night did her good.

"Anyway, if we are talking about failed relationships, I don't think anyone can top mine." Felicity spoke after the laughter died. "I mean Oliver and I have gone through so much drama that I could feed a small orphanage if I was getting paid."

"That's true. So much drama between you and Oliver." Iris agreed and Sara just nodded her head being too busy drowning her third glass of wine.

"And that was before we attempted to get married, where he was shot with arrows and needed to be hospitalized." Felicity continued and raised her hands in a _don't-ask_ gesture at Lena's widening eyes.

"Well, my partner and boyfriend got shot in the head right in front of my eyes, after I blew our cover." Dinah told everyone wanting to prove to Felicity that her case was worse.

"I can top that too." Caitlin said in return. "I spend a whole year thinking that my fiancé, Ronnie, had died in the particle accelerator explosion. But it turned out that he was just lost and he had...amnesia." Caitlin stared intensively at Iris looking for support as the lie flew from her lips. "But I got him back. And then he had to leave again so that he could get...treated in Europe." The lie continued. "But he got better and he came back. We got married, but an hour later he died again. But this time for real."

The ladies around her winched visibly. "Girl, you have some bad luck." Sara exclaimed.

"And she's not even finished." Caitlin heard Felicity mumble from under her breath.

The brunette pushed her lips in a thin line and swallowed hard. "After Ronnie, I met Jay." she continued. "But it turned out that his real name was Hunter and that he was a serial killer –a true sociopath."

"Ouch!" Dinah said and Lena hissed in return.

"Bad luck is not enough to describe what you went through. Are you sure you are not cursed or something?" Alex asked Caitlin.

The young doctor could only give a tight smile. "Trust me, I have thought about that a lot."

"What about Julian?" Felicity asked her next.

Caitlin stilled. "Julian..." _I tried to kill Julian more than once while I was Killer Frost and then he moved to England. Not that it hurt me much because let's be honest, he was more into me than I was into him._ But Caitlin couldn't say that, could she? Not with Lena not knowing about their secret lives of fighting crime.

"Complicated." Iris came to her rescue.

"Yes. On and off all the time." Catlin nodded. "Didn't work out in the end."

"Well, now I know that I will be fine." Alex told the women. "If any of you can keep going on after everything you have been through –especially you Cait-, then I know that I can survive my break up with Maggie."

"Glad we could help." Caitlin smiled at the D.E.O. agent, while Kara just threw her hands in the air and exclaimed cheerfully: "Yay, girls' night was a success."

Caitlin felt her phone vibrate from where she had felt it next to her on the floor. Curiosity filled her when she saw a message from Cisco. The engineer had told her that he wouldn't be bothering her tonight because he wanted her to have fun at Kara's. She opened his message and froze. Iris saw her reaction and stared intensely at her. Caitlin with eyes filled with worry passed her phone discreetly at Iris.

 _Barry is badly hurt. We need you. I'm outside Kara's,_ it read. Iris felt like she wanted to cry. Her stomach felt nauseous and her throat closed. Both women shared a look before getting up in a hurry.

"We're sorry, but we have to go. It's an emergency." Caitlin explained at the questioning eyes they got from everyone. "Barry is hurt." She said just barely above a whisper, knowing that Kara could hear her.

Just as was expected the Kryptonian widened her blue eyes. Her face was covered in worry in an instant. Seeing Kara's expression, Sara, Felicity and Dinah understood. They all got up in a hurry.

"We should go too." Sara said.

"They are our ride so..."Felicity continued clumsily.

The bunch of them rushed through the door, where Cisco was waiting.

"Do you need my help?" Kara asked Cisco with worry. The man shook his head negatively. Kara nodded. "Ok. I'm only a call away if you do." And with these last words, Vibe opened a breach.

#

Meanwhile, the bomb squad was already set outside the restaurant. The Flash, dressed in his bright red suit, came to a stop next to the leader of the squad. Darren was his name and Barry had talked to him only a handful of times. Terrorist attacks were very rare in Central City.

"What is the situation here?" he asked him.

Darren visibly relaxed seeing the Flash. The rest of his team had similar reactions upon seeing the speedster's arrival. Barry could hear _The Flash is here,_ being happily exclaimed from the mouth of several people.

"It's good to see you Flash." The leader composed himself. "There is one bomb inside that we know of. It's under someone's chair, near the center of the dinner. The man has been standing still for ten minutes now. If he moves a muscle the bomb explodes. But we haven't been inside to check for sure that there aren't any more bombs."

The Flash nodded his head. "And the rest of the costumers?"

"Still inside. They are too afraid to move, thinking there could be more explosives."

Barry nodded once again, just as Kid Flash arrived too, along with the CCPD. Joe and his partner, August Heart, climbed out of detective West's car and joined the two speedsters and the leader of the bomb squad.

"Thanks for letting me know last." Kid Flash smiled ironically at the Flash.

"Hey, it's Vibe's job to inform you and I was already on my way when I learned about it." Flash shot back at the younger speedster.

Joe rolled his eyes, as the two heroes smiled playfully at each other. The two of them were always bantering like that, although both knew that they were speaking playfully, so neither took the other's words at heart nor felt offended.

"Go check the perimeter." Flash ordered Wally. Kid Flash gave him a quick nod before he disappeared.

"So, any news?" Joe asked.

"Nothing different from what you told me." Flash answered. The " _from what you told me"_ comment was clearly meant to conceal the fact that Barry was already at CCPD when the call came in.

Just like his son, Joe gave a quick nod. Next to him, detective Heart sighed. "Well, at least we are lucky to have you Flash. Perhaps you can do that blurring-through-buildings thing you do. If we can't save the building, we can at least save the man." August winked at the speedster.

The only thing that prevented everyone from seeing how red Barry got from detective Heart's comment was the dark sky and his already red suit. Barry didn't trust his voice to speak so he just made a weird sound with his throat, hoping that August would accept it as an answer.

"You think you are fast enough to get the man out of there before the bomb can explode?" Darren asked the Flash.

Barry held himself from rolling his eyes. _Pleaseeeee,_ Barry wanted to say, but he didn't. Instead, he gave a tight but big smile at Darren. Kid Flash arrived at this moment followed by his familiar gust of wind.

"The perimeter is clear." He informed the Flash.

"Saw anyone suspicious?" Flash asked. Kid Flash shook his head negatively. "Ok, then. We're going inside." Then the two speedsters disappeared, flashing inside the Italian restaurant.

"That's so cool." Joe heard August exclaim by his side, voicing Darren's thoughts.

"You have no idea." Detective West mumbled to himself.

#

Inside the restaurant, Flash and Kid Flash stopped in the middle of the room. The frightened costumers cried out with relief seeing the two costumed heroes were there to save them. Some of them chanted their names, others didn't even flinch too afraid to do anything. Flash saw the man Darren was speaking about. He was a middle-aged man, well dressed in a dark grey suit, but it was the sweat on the poor guy's face that gave Barry the clue that underneath his chair was the bomb. Flash turned to his younger partner.

"Get everyone out of here, but check for any more explosives. I'll try and talk to the guy, calm him down and then get him out of here."

"Ok." Kid Flash nodded, sounding too sober for his age.

"Hey." Flash put a hand on Wally's shoulder. "Be careful."

Wally nodded. "I will."

One by one the costumers were brought outside, where the police and the paramedics came to their aid. The dinner was now empty except for the two speedsters and the middle-aged man. Barry and Wally searched the aria thorough again and again, but there was no sign of explosives. So they came to the conclusion that there must be only that one.

"It's clear." Flash said to Wally. Though for some reason the scarlet speedster had a gut wrecking feeling that something was not right. _It can't be so easy,_ he thought. _What am I missing?_ But they didn't find any more bombs inside the room or the kitchen. And Wally had checked the area around the restaurant and it was clear. Barry started to wonder that maybe he was getting as paranoid as Oliver.

"What is it?" Kid Flash asked him. Flash turned to him.

"I have this feeling that something is wrong." He shook his head. "Just wait for me outside. Cisco, see if you can help me disarm the bomb." He said pressing the comm.

"Sure thing." He heard Cisco reply, just as Wally left.

Barry approached the man with sort, calculative movements. The last thing he needed was to tense him. They were in a tight spot if he moved just a little the bomb would be activated and Barry wasn't confident enough that he could run them out of there with the explosion having a head start. Sure, after he had gotten out of the Speedforce he had noticed major improvements in his speed, but he still didn't want to bet on his luck.

"Hey, there." He spoke softly. "I am going to help you. It's going to be over soon. You are going to be ok." The man nodded furiously his head, his tears still dripping down his face like a waterfall. "I am going to lie down now." Flash continued speaking just as softly while lowering himself to the floor slowly. "And I am going to take a look at the bomb and I am going to disarm it. "

"Why don't you just run me out of here?" the man cried.

"I will see if I can disarm it first and if I can't then I'm getting you out."

Barry activated the camera on his chest piece so Cisco could see whatever he did. Barry tried to block out the man's sobs as Cisco and he were talking. Barry found himself frowning. The unpleasant feeling in his gut twisted again. This was so wrong. The bomb was not even active. Barry felt sick in his stomach. If this bomb was not going to go off then what the... _Nooooo!_ Barry's green eyes popped out as the realization hit him.

"It's a distraction." He spoke to the comm.

"What do you mean?" Cisco asked.

"The restaurant is not the target. They set a fake bombing situation to distract us from the real target." Flash said out loud and then pressed his earpiece again. "Try to locate the real location. Fast. I'll get out of here."

Before the man could realize what was happening, the Flash had wrapped an arm around his waist and the other under his feet and rushed to get out of the Italian restaurant. The speedster's mind was too preoccupied to see it until it was too late. Or much rather felt it. There was another bomb inside the restaurant. It was a wonder how neither Wally nor Barry found it, but Barry didn't have the time to think about where it was hidden, because the blast was coming their way and it was coming fast.

What happened in the next moment could only be captured by a speedster's eyes. It felt like an eternity for Barry. His legs felt like they were moving in slow motion, a feeling he despised with his entire being. He felt the heat from the blast nearing them. He moved faster, carrying the heavy man and for a moment he felt the heat moving away from them. He was by the door now. He could see Wally and Joe and the bomb squad waiting for them. He wanted to smile, the blast wouldn't reach them. But then his foot was caught on something. Perhaps he slipped on the stairs. Only Wally could see him from the other side, how his eyes bulged and horror filled his features behind the red mask. Only Wally could see the minute the Flash lost his balance and they both realized he wasn't going to make it. And only Wally could see the unsaid order his brother gave him as he fell. Kid Flash didn't hesitate. Ever since Barry got back from the Speedforce the younger speedster hadn't questioned not one order Barry gave him. So he launched ahead just in time to get the man out of Barry's arms and away. But before he could go back to help Barry, it was like time suddenly sped up. The blast of the bomb hit the scarlet speedster propelling him away. Flash hit with force the side of a parked vehicle managing to bend its door. Barry felt his head explode with pain before he passed out cold.

Everyone else waited to see if the Flash was going to stand up. Joe and Wally shared a concerned look and with that Kid Flash rushed to the other speedster's side and took off with him to STAR labs.

#

The cortex was lighted as a breach opened in the center. Iris and Caitlin rushed out of the opening with panicked looks on both their faces. The rest followed behind them. Wally was pacing next to Barry's collapsed form. When he saw them, relieve spread on his features.

"What took you so long?" he demanded, despite Cisco having left only five seconds ago.

Cisco just gave him a stern look and Caitlin and Iris rushed past the younger speedster to see the condition Barry was in. A scream full of horror escaped Iris' lips seeing the love of her life at this state. Barry was broken in half. Most of his face was covered in blood. The cuts all over his unconscious body were deep and long and Iris couldn't see how far they went. Shrapnel extended from all parts of his suit. They were big and sharp and they had torn the Flash suit like a cat that had once torn her pillow.

"BARRY!" Iris screamed, sobbing and reached for him.

"Get her away." Caitlin demanded from no one in particular. She just knew that Iris shouldn't see Barry in this condition. "And I need someone with some medical knowledge."

Felicity was the one who dragged Iris away from the medical bay. And Sara took quickly place across from Caitlin. "I have been patching myself for years after joining the League. What do you need me to do?"

"We need to remove the shrapnel from his body before his wounds start healing. Start with his legs. I'll do the upper part." She ordered. "Cisco I need the X-ray machine. I need to see if any shrapnel is stuck inside his body or if he has internal bleeding or if he has broken bones. Of course, he has broken bones. He took a bomb in the black. He shouldn't even be alive."

Sara put a hand on her shoulder to stop her rumbling. "Caitlin you need to stop panicking and focus." She told her. "I know that Barry is your friend and you are worrying, but having a nervous meltdown is not going to help him. So get yourself together and calm down."

Caitlin blinked her big horrified eyes at Sara. Then nodded at the assassin and forced herself to calm down. Sara was right. Panicking won't help Barry.

"Alright. We need to remove the suit from his body carefully."

"Just cut the damn thing off of him." Cisco yelled desperately, for once not caring about his suit being destroyed. He just wanted his friend to be ok.

Caitlin gave him a quick look before complying. She took the scissors and cut the suit in half.

#

Sara hadn't removed three shrapnel from Barry's right leg when the power went out. The emergency red light illuminated the inside of STAR labs soon after.

"What the hell happened?" Sara demanded hearing Cisco curse.

"That's what they were after." He seemed to be talking to himself.

"What are you talking about?" Dinah asked beating Sara to it.

"The bomber that set the explosives at the restaurant. Barry realized that it was a decoy, that the real target was something else. But we didn't have the time to look into it because he got hurt." He explained. At Dinah's demanding stare Vibe continued. "It seems like whoever is responsible for this the real endgame was to blow up the power station. And central City doesn't have a backup generator."

"Everything is controlled by electricity. If there is no power in the city then..."Felicity's eyes widened.

"The city will go into chaos." Dinah finished her thoughts.

"Is there no way to see the damage it's already causing?" Wally asked.

"Thankfully, after our run-in with Blackout over three years ago, I made a few adjustments to the STAR lab back-up generator. We should have enough power to operate the satellite and scan the city for problems." Cisco offered his solution getting up. "I'm going to activate it." And with that, he extended his arm and opened a breach.

The power came back shortly after and Cisco arrived to assist Felicity in scanning Central City.

"Guys we have a problem." Both of them said at the same time. "You go first." Felicity gestured for Cisco to go on.

"I just looked at the hospital records and I saw that there were three operations scheduled for today. As in, right now."

"Have they taken them inside?" Iris asked, her eyebrows frowning with worry.

"Thirty minutes ago." Cisco replied.

"Those people will die." Dinah gasped in horror.

"It's not just that." Cisco shook his head. "With the trafficking lights not working, the satellite has picked up at least eight car crashes so far."

"Oh, my God." Felicity gasped.

"What about the traffic policemen?" asked Dinah.

"Apparently they are not enough. We are talking about the entire city, not just a block."

"Then we are going to assist."

"You know how to do that?"

"No, but someone has to help."Dinah said with conviction.

Vibe nodded. "Then you and me and Wally will go."

"And me." Iris said. "I won't hear it. If I can't help Barry, then at least I can help someone else." She added quickly not letting Cisco protest.

"Sara can come too. I'm almost finished with Barry and then I'll leave it to his healing ability." Caitlin shouted from the medical bay.

"I have an idea that will solve everyone's problems." Wally said suddenly. "We use the device Dr. Elias wanted Barry to use."Immediately everyone started arguing. "Are you hearing yourselves?" he shouted. "I can't believe what I'm hearing right now. This is the only way to fix this. So what if there is a chance that Elias is setting a trap? We have the chance to stop more people from getting hurt. Are we seriously even considering it? It's what Barry would do if he was awake." He said looking his sister in the eyes.

Everyone stopped and stared silently at the younger speedster.

"It is what Barry would do." Cisco admitted.

Everyone shared a look. The decision was instantly made. Wally was going to get the help of Dr. Elias. Cisco wondered inside his head if that was what the scientist wanted all along. But then again what other choice did they have?

"I know this is really a bad time, but I just received a message from Diggle saying that the team encountered Slade Wilson and they need help. Oliver says that he is enchanted by some kind of magic." Felicity spoke suddenly.

Cisco cursed. "We can't send anyone of us, we are needed here and Barry is still healing." He took a deep breath cursing inside that all the bad things had to happen at the same time. He didn't see it then, but later he would realize that everything was connected.

"Call Supergirl."


	28. Direct attack

Chapter 28

The Green Arrow along with Wild Dog maneuvered around the sewers underneath Star City. The archer held the bow in one hand, while the other was tense ready to shot up and grab an arrow from the quiver on his back. Rene behind him had already his gun extended, aiming at nothing in particular. Oliver had and another reason to be tensed. He didn't have Felicity on the other side of the communication system. Instead, John Diggle had taken over the post of Overwatch, since she had gone with the girls in National City to visit Kara and Alex.

"Just a few more steps ahead." John spoke in his ear.

There was something weird going on in Star City the last couple of days. Oliver couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly and that frustrated him more than anything. Diggle and Rene couldn't see what he did. So they had brushed it off as one of Oliver's paranoids. But Oliver could feel that something rotten was growing inside his city. The city he had vowed to protect night and day. He'd be damned if he let anything happen to it. So it wasn't that big of a surprise when the team received an encrypted message asking them to meet. Oliver realized that the message was a setup -that nothing good would come off from going to the place they were asked. Yet, he couldn't get the sting off of his leather suit. Dig had insisted on calling Felicity, but Oliver had denied his request saying that if they needed back-up they could call STAR labs and to let Felicity be. God knows how much she needed a break. And so did Dinah.

"I don't like this." Rene voiced behind him.

A chill run down Oliver's spine. _I second that,_ he wanted to say. But instead he kept his mouth shut. His gut was telling him to not make a sound.

"What is going on Oliver?" Dig asked from the Banker.

"Nothing. Nothing at all." He answered him. "It's too quiet."

"Yea, no kidding." Rene snorted. "I think even the rats are on vacation today."

The Green Arrow breathed deep and then exhaled, smoking, frozen air coming out of his nose. He could feel his heart beating inside his ribcage. It was a wonder how the sound of his heartbeat didn't echo in the sewers. Surely if anyone was down here with them, they would be able to hear it from a mile away. It didn't happen very often. Oliver being afraid. He preferred the word _alert_ better. He had heard once that fear stops you from doing irresponsible things. Barry was the one who had told him, but it was Iris who had told the speedster first. Oliver wasn't sure what the reason was. It wasn't very often that Barry did anything irrational. But also, the archer couldn't keep up with everything crazy team Flash got mixed in. Time travel, parallel Earths, superpowers and aliens. Oliver hadn't signed up for this when he put on the green hood. And yet, this was now his everyday reality. Oliver believed that he would have given up on this life, but his friendship with these people and the fact that he valued it so much had prevented him from doing so.

At last footsteps broke the deafening silence in the sewers. Oliver didn't hear them until they were too close to him and Rene.

"Hello, Oliver."

Oliver stilled at the sight of Slade Wilson wearing the Deathstroke suit. Last time he had seen Slade it was a couple of weeks ago when Oliver had told the man that he was going to follow yet another lead in order to find Slade's son. Oliver hated seeing the devastated look on his friend's face. Unfortunately, there wasn't much he could do to help him.

Then Oliver felt it. It pierced his bones and burned his skin. He felt it in the air that was entering his lungs and the way the hair of his back got electrified.

Magic.

Oliver had become prone to detecting it after his battle with Damien Darkh. But this type of magic wasn't like Damien's. It wasn't black nor did it feel like it was sucking on your soul.

"We need to get out of here before this place becomes our grave." Rene said.

Oliver couldn't agree more with his partner.

"What is happening here Slade?"

Deathstroke took his sword out. It's steel head touched the cement on the ground. It made a creepy, shivering sound as it was dragged on the ground - Deathstroke taking a few steps towards them.

"You die."

"Perhaps we need that back-up after all." Rene said again.

Oliver cursed under his breath. "A-ha."

#

Dinah didn't have the time to admire the new Black Canary suit Cisco made for her. Her mind was overrun with the thought of innocent people getting hurt. Sara had too changed into her White Canary suit and they were now waiting for Cisco.

"What is happening?" Ray's voice came from the entrance.

Both ATOM and Firestorm entered the cortex. Firestorm separated immediately into Jax and Professor Stein.

"Great timing. We need all the help we can get." Sara said relieved upon seeing her teammates.

"We came as soon as the power went out." Ray explained. "I tried to call STAR labs and when no one answered immediately I figured that something was wrong."

"Yea, do you know why outside looks like Divergent?" Jax demanded.

"Dude! The city looks nothing like Divergent." Cisco replied sounded offended.

"Have you been outside?" Jax shot back.

"No."

"Then how do you know?"

"Guys." Sara shouted. "Some jackass blew up the power station and now the entire City is without electricity."

"How do we fix this?" Martin asked.

"Wally is already on it." Dinah told him. "But we need to help people outside until he can get the power back up."

"Alright. Let's do it." Ray said.

Jax and Stein merged again. The flames of Firestorm lit up the cortex even more. Then Vibe wore his goggles and opened a breach. The six of them jumped through and Felicity took over the controls. Caitlin stayed by Barry's side to look over him, while the speedster healed. A moan escaped from his mouth. Caitlin saw his eyes flutter open.

Black Canary landed gracefully on the road. Five more sets of feet landed behind her.

"Alright, let's split up. Find where we are needed." Sara ordered.

There was no positive reply. There was a silent understanding between the heroes, as they all parted for different directions. Firestorm took to the sky, searching the city from above. The rest walked on foot.

Black Canary came across two officers. The youngest froze seeing the vigilante dressed in black. His hands went automatically for his gun, but he didn't point it at her.

"You are one of them." his voice waved. "You are a vigilante, we should be arresting you."

His partner hit him softly in the head. "In what world do you live in? She works with the Flash. They have formed some kind of superhero group. They even did an interview with Cat Grant. She called them the League." he informed him.

The other officer relaxed. He let go of his gun and his shoulders fell. "You work with the Flash?" he asked her, willing to work with her now that he knew that she had a good relationship with the scarlet speedster. Black Canary nodded her head. "There is a traffic block two roads down." he told her.

Dinah thanked them and run in the direction they gave her.

Captain Singh found Vibe on the other side of Central City. The police Captain came to a halt seeing the metahuman. He recognized him from working with Kid Flash the six months that the Flash had disappeared.

"Thanks for the help." he told him, as Vibe prevented two cars from colliding. "Are there more of you out here?"

"Some of us are. The others are dealing with another problem." Vibe answered him. "And we are handling the power outage too. Hopefully, the power will be back soon."

Captain Singh nodded feeling grateful. "Good. I just heard that Keystone police is coming to assist too."

It was Vibe's turn to nod this time. "The more the merrier." was all the metahuman offered before opening a portal and transporting to another part of the city.

#

"Why is he trying to kill us? I thought you two were buddy-buddy now?" Rene asked.

His voice was laced with fatigue as he ran for his life. As they took a turn Wild Dog faced Deathstroke and shoot at his shoulder. The bullet hit the armor and bounced off of it and back to them.

"Stop shooting. You'll kill us instead." Oliver growled. "John, did you contacted STAR labs?"

"I've been trying, but they are not answering. There seems to be some sort of power outage in Central City."

"Keep trying." he urged.

As they finally reached the end of the sewer Green Arrow and wild Dog started climbing up the stairs made of rusty steel.

"When we get out of here, I'm going to soak in my bathtub for ten hours. I can't believe you talked me into coming down here." Rene whined. "Can't you go faster? Deathstroke is reaching us."

So they sped up. Rene barely managed to get out of the sewer before Slade started shooting at them. Star City's vigilantes crawled away from the opening. They had only taken a few steps when Slade jumped from the sewer. Deathstroke eyed them both. Oliver and Rene stared back at him. They appeared to be in some kind of trance. Then Deathstroke attacked them. With a sword in hand this time, Slade made a move for Oliver. The archer barely avoided getting cut in half. Oliver lost his balance and fell to the ground. Deathstroke raised his sword and struck.

Supergirl landed in front of Oliver, protecting him. Kara managed to remove Slade's grip from the weapon and then -gently for her- pushed him. Slade fell a few a few feet away but got back on his feet immediately. Kara spared a look at Oliver and Rene.

"You guys ok?" she asked them.

"Fine." Rene grunted and Oliver simply nodded.

With that in mind, Kara set her eyes on Slade again. The man aimed his gun at her this time. It made Kara want to laugh seeing this. Don't people learn? That was when Slade shot her. The bullets didn't even tinkle the Kryptonian. Kara went to move again.

"Careful." Oliver told her. "Don't underestimate him. He has taken some form of Mirakuru and it must be enhanced with magic."

 _Magic. Noted._

"What does that _My-ra-ku-ru_ make him?" she asked the archer.

Meanwhile, Deathstroke tried to shoot her again. When he realized that the bullets just bounced off of her, he put the gun back in its place and charged at her with his fists.

"They make him super strong." Oliver said as Kara blocked one of his punches. "Practically impenetrable from any man-made weapon." this time Supergirl couldn't avoid the attack. The force of it knocked the wind out of her lungs. The girl of steel crushed through a pile of a nearby factory that was under construction.

"Good to know." she said as she got up.

"And he has hyper healing."

"Great." her voice dripped with irony.

Supergirl landed a blow on his stomach. The ex-mercenary crushed through another concrete pile. The construction started to tremble. Kara looked up as the ceiling started falling on her.

"Kara get out!" she heard Oliver yell.

Six stories fell on Kara.

Green Arrow and Wild Dog starred with their mouths hanging open. Oliver felt worry twist his stomach, while Rene was consumed with dread. And yet neither found the strength to make a sound.

Supergirl pushed the concrete pieces off of her. Slowly she rose on her feet. Her perfect white face was covered in dirt and her golden curls had pieces of cement. Kara pushed her hair out of her face and glared at Deathstroke. She was pissed.

"Let's see how you feel about this." she whispered.

Then she embraced her anger like she had done when she faced off against Red Tornado. She let it run through her veins and charge up, making her powerful. Supergirl breathed, directing her heat vision on the enemy. Rene and Oliver covered their eyes. The brightness of Supergirl's heat vision blinded them. They heard the Kryptonian let out a scream and then the brightness stopped. Three sets of eyes locked on Deathstroke. They were all surprised seeing that Slade's armor was not the least bit affected by Supergirl's heat vision. Kara looked at it confused. This had never happened to her before. She gave a nervous look at Oliver.

"I-uh. I don't understand." she stumbled on her words.

"I guess the armor was made specifically to counteract your powers." the archer answered.

Then all of a sudden a strange sound came from their earpiece, as a connection was made from STAR labs.

"Guys, Barry is coming." Felicity spoke into the earpiece. "Caitlin tried to stop him, but it was pointless."

"We could really use Rene here." Dinah said.

"I'm opening a breach to you." they heard Cisco said next.

Sure enough, a portal opened in front of Wild Dog. Rene looked over at Oliver's direction. The Green Arrow nodded his hood. That was it. Wild Dog jumped into the open breach, which closed behind him, leaving Oliver and Karato deal with Deathstroke.

#

Kid Flash's footsteps thundered on the asphalt as he raced through Central City. He could already see the pandemonium that had started in his City. It was a true wonder how easily someone could cause mayhem. Wally phased through the wall of Elias' lab. He sped around trying to find the scientist, which was surprisingly easy considering how big the facility was. Kid Flash stopped in front of the scientist scaring him in the process.

"Kid Flash." Elias said startled.

"Dr. Elias." Wally greeted him vibrating his vocal cords. "I hear that you have a device that can convert a speedster's energy into power. Now is the best time to try it out."

Dr. Elias stares a little agape at the young speedster. He blinked his small eyes and shook his head. "I was hoping that the Flash would agree to this." he said a little unsure.

Wally held himself from making a face. "The Flash send me. He is...preoccupied at the moment and asked me to do it."

Elias cursed every curse word he knew inside his head. Why didn't the Flash come like he was supposed to? That was the whole point. Elias had designed the speed machine to steal the Flash's speed. What was he going to do with the kid? That's not what Elias wanted. But with the current situation, the scientist didn't have many choices. Elias gritted his teeth and gave Kid Flash a fake smile.

"Right, of course. Come with me." he motioned to follow him.

Kid Flash trailed behind him. Elias led him to a room that contained something that looked like a sphere and a hive. Wally stared interested at it. By the side, he could see consoles that he guessed was to measure energy input and output and things like that. Next Dr. Elias handed him some kind of bracelet.

"You should wear this to keep track on your vitals, just in case."

Wally eyed the bracelet and then gave it back to him. "I think I know my own body." he told him.

"Very well." the scientist said with half heart.

"So, how does that work?" Wally rubbed his palms, eager and excited at the same time.

"It's very simple. There is a treadmill inside the sphere. All you have to do is run on it. The device will do the rest." he explained.

"And for how long do I have to run?"

Elias raised his shoulders at this. "This is the first test run, so I'm not sure." he told him sincerely. "How about we get started and I'm let you know when the computer measures one hundred percent."

Kid Flash nodded and hopped on the treadmill.

#

A strong strange sound made everyone stop fighting and look far away to where it was coming from. To Oliver's ears, it sounded like a hurricane was coming their way.

"What's that?" he voiced his thoughts.

Supergirl used her super vision to see clearly. At least three miles away Kara could see Barry's bright red suit. The speedster was surrounded by an invisible sonic bubble as he broke the sound barrier moving fast towards them. And he didn't seem to be slowing down.

"It's Flash." Supergirl informed the Green Arrow.

"Get clear." they both heard Barry's voice coming from the earpiece.

Supergirl sped Oliver a couple of feet away from where they stood and covered his body with her own. Neither saw what happened next. They only heard the thunderous boom of the Flash's fist colliding with Deathstroke's armor.

The Flash fell on the ground and curled into a ball, holding his hand in pain, but refusing to let it out. The Green Arrow run to his side and went down on his knees. Carefully he laid his green-gloved hand on Flash's shoulder.

"Flash, are you ok?"

"I broke my arm." the scarlet speedster grunted. "Again."

Oliver, behind his mask and hood, gave Barry a confused look. "Again?" he asked giving his left hand to the speedster.

The Flash looked at him sheepishly, as he accepted Oliver's hand to get up. "I-uh, kinda, sort of had a bomb explode on me a few hours ago."

The archer looked confused for just a second and then glared at him. What was he thinking before about Barry not being reckless?

"When this is over, you and I are going to have a very pointed conversation about casing your surroundings." he growled.

"Hey! I did, ok.?" the Flash was quick to defend himself, his voice becoming high pitched. "Both me and Wally looked and we didn't found a second bomb."

"Later. Now we have to deal with Slade."

"We need to take his armor off." Supergirl landed next to them. "I don't know what metal it is made off, but it can withstand both my punches and my heat vision."

"Yea, I haven't seen a metal like that either. It looks synthetic." the Flash said.

"Whatever it is made of, it seems like your broken arm wasn't for nothing. It looks more fragile now. Supergirl, hit him with the same force Flash did."

Kara nodded and then set her eyes on the black and orange suit of Deathstroke. Then using her superspeed, Supergirl launched herself into the air and let out a scream, as she landed a sonic punch on Deathstroke. Kara could see multiple shuttering lines forming on the suit.

Confident now she yelled at the two men. "It's working." and then she repeated the action.

One more time.

Two more times.

The third time the suit came undone, falling apart around Slade Wilson.

"Now what?" she asked avoiding Slade's advantages on her.

"Now we put him to sleep and get him in a container until I call John Constantine to reverse whatever magic has been done to him." the Green Arrow replied.

"Gladly." Supergirl said in return and raised her fist.

"Wait!" the Flash shouted, but it was too late.

Supergirl had already struck. The force of her fist blew Deathstroke ten feet away. Supergirl smiled. She turned to announce that it was over when she saw Deathstroke get up again.

"Does this guy never stop?" she mumbled to herself.

Supergirl felt the familiar wind and electricity that the Flash created next to her. Barry and Oliver stood by her side, looking with astonishment at the sight of Slade having survived Supergirl's attack. The archer, the speedster and the Kryptonian wondered if there was even a way to defeat the new Deathstroke.

"We need to soften the density of the molecular structure of his body." the Flash said all of a sudden.

"How are we going to do that?" Kara asked.

"I'll vibrate him." he answered simply. "Do you have that tranquilizer that you used on me once?" he then asked Oliver.

Oliver gave him a quizzical look but answered anyway. "I do? But how is it going to help? My arrows can't even pierce his skin."

"They will." Barry reassured him. "When I make Slade vibrate at the same frequency as I do, then his skin will become normal again and your arrows will be able to penetrate it."

"I don't know, Barry. The tranquilizer didn't even work on you last time."

"But Slade doesn't have a super fast metabolism like I do." the speedster reminded him.

Oliver nodded his head, ready to try out Barry's plan. "I don't even understand the logic behind what you just said, but...let's do it."

"Great. I just need you to buy me some time."

"Leave it to me." Supergirl said. "Get behind me."

The Flash and Green Arrow positioned themselves behind Supergirl. Oliver readied the arrow he was going to use. Three sets of eyes saw Slade Wilson run full speed towards them. Then as he reached closer to the three, Supergirl clapped her hands with amazing force. A powerful sonic wave hit Deathstroke. The man fell to his knees holding his head. The sonic wave had almost paralyzed him, but for certain had caused spasms on his body. The Flash took the opportunity Supergirl gave him and rushed ahead. He stopped behind the fallen man and put his hands on his shoulders. Then he started vibrating. The Green Arrow moved from behind Supergirl too. He extended the arrow on his bow and aimed at Slade's leg.

"Now, Ollie." the Flash yelled.

Oliver let go of the arrow. It found its target on Slade's right leg. Within seconds, the man stopped moving, laying now unconscious in the speedster's arms. The three heroes let out a big breath.

"Let's get him to the pipeline." Oliver said.

"And you need to call your magician friend." Flash said next.

The archer nodded and then turned to Kara. "Supergirl?"

Kara nodded. "I got him."

#

"It is done?" Clifford DeVoe asked.

His binary voice echoed around the basement of the lab. Dr. Elias took a final look at the body inside the tube and spoke to his partner.

"All the readings of the clone are as they should be. Your new body is ready Clifford. We can begin transferring your consciousness in it anytime you want."

"At last. I'll be free again. I've been a prisoner in this hell hole for far too long. Now with my return and your precious help, Elias, we will bring greatness to the world."

"You sound like a politician."

"The only difference is that I keep my promises."

Elias didn't offer a comment. Instead, he just looked blankly at the computer screen and asked: "When do you want to do it?"

"Right now. I'd rather not waste any more time. We have work to do." Came the reply.

The scientist connected the clone to the computer's hard drive with wires. Then he uploaded the code he had specifically created for this situation and then pressed compel. The lights on the lab turned off as the transfer happened. When it was completed in a couple of minutes they turned on again.

Clifford DeVoe looked his new body with astonishment. Then he turned to Elias.

"You know what to do now Darwin. Don't disappoint me."


	29. Collateral damage

Chapter 29

" _We should start worrying." Senator Nathan Domini was saying on Channel 52. "We have aliens and metahumans and vigilantes joining forces. They take the law into their own hands. It's a matter of time before they stop helping people and start conquering the world. They need to be stopped. The cities they have under their control belong to us, the American people, the normal people, the humans. And on second point, what message does our passive behavior sent to the families out there? That we depend on vigilantism and freaks and aliens. Every time those people operate and we do nothing to stop them, we tell those families that the law enforcement can't do their job. That they can't keep their children save. And then it becomes a question. Why do we need the Police department, if the Green Arrow and his followers take down criminals every night? Why do we need the Fire department, if the Flash will always run to put out the fire? And why do we need the Air force, if Supergirl can take apart an airplane with her fist?"_

" _To answer Senator Domini we have Captain David Singh from the Central City Police Department."_

" _Before I respond to the Senator's questions I have one for him too. Isn't the main purpose of every department you mentioned to save lives?" Captain Singh told everyone that watched the channel. "It's true that those Superheroes are more powerful than our departments, but that doesn't mean that we are not needed. The world is big and they are only eight of them, they can't be in multiple places at the same time. The thing is that we are only human and sometimes we are not enough. So, if one of them can save someone when we can't, that's a win in my opinion, Senator. Would you prefer innocent lives to get lost so that the Flash wouldn't take the credit – or any of the other heroes? Let me remind you that in our state, citizen arrests are legal. So if the Green Arrow or Supergirl or Black Canary or the Flash is there when a crime is committed, then it's perfectly lawful for them to bring them to justice."_

" _Then we should all take Green Arrow's example and run out every night fighting crime. Do you imagine the pandemonium that would cause if this ever happened?" Senator Domini laughed back._

" _You don't see my point, Senator, do you? We call them heroes because they don't have to do this. It's not requested of them, they don't get paid. And they still put their lives at risk to help people. It's not their job, but they have made it. They don't have a personal gain from saving people and they still choose to do it. So why are you against them, when they have only shown that they want to do good to the world?"_

 _The Senator refused to answer. Instead he frowned his ugly fat face and glared through the TV glass. Cat Grant had her own reply to Senator Nathan Domini._

" _Can I ask you something? Are you stupid or just plain brain damaged?"_

#

"I can't believe they're saying all these things." Barry sighed watching the argument on the news with folded arms and a tired expression.

"We expected that this would happen eventually. It was unavoidable." Oliver reminded him softly.

The speedster turned his head and gave him a lazy nod. "I know, but it's still getting to me. I mean, all we do is try to protect people and they make us out to be some crazy lunatics that are going to snap an any moment."

"I guess it's reasonable for them to act this way when they don't have control over us. We are a wild card Barry. It's logical to fear what you can't control."

Barry snorted. "That we are. Anyway, I thought you would be in the pipeline keeping Slade company."

Oliver pinched his nose. "Slade's still sleeping from the anesthetic. And Caitlin is keeping an eye on him. It's not like I can help either way." he admitted. "And I wanted to hear what Wally learned from Dr. Elias."

Barry chuckled as his green eyes fell humorous on the emerald archer. "You could have said that first and not go with the whole 'Slade's asleep' and 'I can't help him'."

Oliver made a face. "Funny."

"It is."

"Guys!" Kara interrupted them.

Both men turned their attention to her. Kara was watching a breach opening inside the cortex. The next moment White Canary, Firestorm, Ray, Black Canary and Vibe jumped through -all of them looking exhausted.

"I don't know how you do it man." Cisco said trying to catch his breath.

Barry arched an eyebrow. "I take it everything is under control?"

"Yes, everything is fine." Dinah replied, as Firestorm separated.

"Only because Wally replaced the generator with the new power source he got from Dr. Elias." Sara added.

She dumped her staff on the desk and sat on Cisco's chair. The engineer wanted to complain to her for taking his spot, but one look at the exhaustion on the assassin's face made Cisco rethinking about it. Most likely scenario, Sara would turn him into kebab if he bothered her.

"Kara!" Stein exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad you are here. I have very exciting news. Ms. Palmer and I were able to replicate the red sun radiation. You can now start training with the rest of the team." he told her happily.

"Don't forget who helped you transfer it into a lamb without blowing up the power." Jax argued.

"Of course, Jefferson. I could have never done it without you." Stein told his younger partner.

Kara smiled brightly at both of them. "Thank you so much. All of you. This means so much to me."

And it did. The red sun radiation wasn't only a non-harmful way to remove her powers, but it also made her feel normal, human and it reminded her of her home planet Krypton. For a while, long after Kara arrived on Earth, she would close her eyes and imagined the warm red sunlight of Rao touching her skin. Over the years she dreamed less and less of Krypton. And now...

"Come with me Kara. I want to show you how it works." Stein urged the Kryptonian to follow him.

"Go." Barry smiled at her. "We have it here." he assured her.

Kara squealed and jumped, before following the professor, eager to see it herself.

"And the rest of us need to take a shower." Sara said tiredly. "Come on guys, we all stink."

"So, did you call your friend?" Barry asked Oliver above the sound of Sara's boots clicking on the floor.

"I left him a message." Oliver sighed. "Constantine is a weird person. But he'll show up." He said, blue eyes confirming the certainty of his voice. "The question is when is Wally going to come back? I thought he'd be here."

"I'm here." Wally's voice echoed as he walked in, hands full of calorie bars. "I just needed to charge up on some of these." He continued with his mouth full.

Barry visibly relaxed seeing the younger speedster. "Hey, you ok?" he asked with concern.

Wally nodded swallowing hard. "I'm fine –which is more than I can say for you, you crazy speedster. You took off to fight a trained mercenary when you hadn't even healed yet." He laughed.

Barry chuckled with him. Oliver didn't. "That was a dangerous thing you did. But you helped everyone."

The younger speedster just shrugged. "I figured that's what you would have done." He admitted.

A ghost smile appeared on Barry's face as he shook his head. "I would." He admitted with some hidden pride.

"So what did you learn from Dr. Elias? How does his machine work?" Oliver asked almost impatient.

Wally lost the smile on his face as fast as he was on his feet. He took his time swallowing the calorie bar and licked his teeth for any remnants.

"We didn't have the time to go over that part." He replied quietly.

"You what?" both men exclaimed at the same time, Oliver more aggressively than Barry.

"Wally..." Barry started but was interrupted by Oliver.

"Let's get this straight. You went to Elias –who we suspect wants to either capture Barry or steal his speed or both, with that machine – and you used it without asking any details?" he said in his almost yell but still very frightening voice that Barry was so used too. "Do you realize how irresponsible that is? You could have been captured right now and getting experimented on-"

"Look man, I-"

"No, you put yourself and all of us in unnecessary risk."

"Oliver, stop yelling at him." Barry butted in.

"I'm yelling at him because he acted stupid and reckless. He went in blind and everything could have gone wrong. He's your sidekick, Barry. I thought you had taught him better."

"You are right, Oliver. Wally is my sidekick, which means that if anyone is going to yell at him, it's going to be me. And stop playing the all-rightfull, you've made mistakes and so have I. Wally was put in a very difficult situation and he had to make a choice. He chose the one he thought was the best and because of that he saved lives. Could he have handled it better? Probably. But he made a choice and he is alright and so is everyone else in the city. So if you are going to brood about it you can go to the training room and blow of some steam." He told the archer strongly, but without yelling at him.

Oliver and Barry stared at each other, the former challenging the younger man, but Barry refused to back down. He knew that Wally could have at least try to pry some information out of Elias before he used the device, but he also knew that it was done and over. As a speedster he might have the ability to time travel, but as Jay Garrick had once said to him, he couldn't have a do-over every time life didn't go according to plan.

"Uh, there is something." Wally cleared his throat, breaking the competition between the two men. "Elias wanted me to wear some kind of bracelet. He said that it was to track my vitals, but I'm not sure I believed him."

"Did you wear it?" Oliver asked calmer this time.

The younger speedster shook his head. "No, it seemed suspicious so I told him that I knew my own body. He didn't stress about it though."

Barry and Oliver exchanged looks. "Maybe because you weren't the one he wanted. Sounds suspicious to me."

"I agree." Barry sighed. "What else can you tell us? What did this speed machine look like? What did you do with it?"

Wally nodded quickly. "Yea, sure. It was pretty easy actually."

#

"Well, this joint has much less security than I imagined." A smug British accent alerted the men in the cortex, making them immediately stand defensively on their feet.

Constantine smirked at the sight in front of him. Oliver relaxed realizing that this was just his weird friend –could he call Constantine his friend? He thought he could.

"John." He breathed relaxing his shoulders.

Barry and Wally gave the archer from Star City a look. "Your friend?" the older speedster asked.

Oliver nodded in confirmation. "Thank you for coming so quickly, John." He told him with gratitude and offered his hand –which John shook eagerly before turning to the two speedsters.

"John Constantine." He introduced himself shaking their hands. "Demonologist, professional exorcist and master of the Dark Arts." He said arrogantly.

Barry could master only a small "Oh" as he and Wally stared bewildered at the man with the old trench coat, loose tie and clothes that seemed to have seen better days. John Constantine looked like someone who had just returned from a whole night at the bar –or the nearest brothel.

"I'm Barry and this is Wally. Thank you for coming, John." Barry cleared his throat.

Constantine gave Oliver a side look. "You owe me one Oliver. You pulled me out from a starting war between two demons." He said seriously. "Very dangerous stuff."

"Our situation is very delicate too."

Constantine seemed to accept his reply and clapped his hands. "So tell me mate, where is this patient of mine?" the mage asked eagerly. "Another exorcism?"

"Uh, no, not exactly. You better see it yourself." Oliver replied.

"Go ahead and take him to the pipeline." Barry urged Oliver, as he removed his eyes from his cell phone. "The Captain just texted me. I've got a crime scene."

Oliver nodded understanding. "Ok, go. I got this."

#

Joe West and his partner detective Heart waited for Barry to arrive at the edge of the alley on Seventh Street. The CSI run at super speed until the block before and then changed to normal –for everybody else- speed.

"Allen!" detective Heart greeted Barry with joy. "Glad you're on time." He teased.

Barry made a face. Even though August was very new to their precinct, Barry's reputation of always being late had reached the detective's ears.

"I was nearby." He mumbled. From the corner of his eyes he could see Joe biting his cheek to prevent himself from laughing. "So what do we have?"

"Two victims, a boy and a girl, both around the age of seventeen or eighteen. We assume that they were in a relationship." Joe motioned for Barry to follow him further into the alley where Barry could clearly see the bodied of two teenagers lying next to a dumpster. "There are no wounds or marks that we can see and both their wallets and cell phones were on their bodies when we found them." He continued.

"So this wasn't a robbery." Barry concluded, both detectives nodding in confirmation.

"Could be a crime of passion, but that is still to be determined by the results from the cause of death." Detective Heart said in return.

Barry shook his head as he sunk to his knees to examine the bodies. "No... Crimes of passion are usually violent. They leave some kind of wound on the victim. A stab, a bruise, something."

Barry checked both victims for signs of what caused their death. He checked their hands, their torsos and their necks. Both bodies were spotless. Barry felt sick to his stomach. Who could do this to these kids? What kind of psycho killed teenagers? He felt like puking with disgust. Barry opened carefully the boy's mouth to check his tongue for swelling. It was. Barry didn't know if he should feel relieved or disappointed. The choices were thickening. Lastly he opened his eyes. The pupils were dilated. Barry felt bitterness in his mouth. He sighed and got up. Both detectives stared at him with hope in their eyes. Hope that the mystery would see some light. They didn't know what they were asking for.

"So?" it was Joe who asked.

"Both victims have signs of stroke."

August gave him a stupid look. "Stroke? Allen, they are teenagers."

"I know." Barry sighed frustrated. "I follow the evidence. And the evidence tells me that these kids died from a stroke, unless the coroner finds another cause of death when he examines the bodies. My next best guess is poison, but it would have to be very rare to narrow down."

"You think a meta did this?" Joe asked quietly.

Barry shook his head. He didn't know what to say. "I don't know." He told him at last. "In this crazy city, it's possible. But there's something else." He said examining the aria carefully.

The two detectives followed the CSI around with their eyes. Barry folded his arms in front of his chest and gave a sad look at the kids. "What is it?"Joe spoke for both of them.

"The bodies were moved. Whoever did this, left their bodies here afterward. The real crime scene is somewhere else."

Joe sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Oh, boy. That's exactly what we needed right now."

#

Oliver Queen walked down the way to the pipeline with John Constantine on his heels. By now the Emerald Archer had learned the complicated way through the maze that was STAR labs as well as he knew the streets of Star City.

"So tell me, what's the deal with all these new players mate? I thought you were all about this life being your lone responsibility and all that crap. But then again, I have been in other dimensions more than I have on my own lately."

"Demons started a riot or something?"

Constantine chuckled. "Something like that. Well, if it's any consolation, if you pour a little blood over these walls, this place would come pretty close to resembling the first ring of hell. Oh, wow. What kind of creature do you keep down here? This place reeks of magic." Constantine frowned as they took a turn and met with Cisco and Caitlin.

"You see why I called you now?"

"Oh, good. You guys are here." Cisco sighed with relief.

"He's starting to wake up." Caitlin added concerned.

Constantine looked at Slade's huge form lying in the middle of the cell. "So this is the big fella that is not possessed."

"Yes." Oliver joined him. "I think that he is magically controlled." He told John seriously.

John pushed his lips taking Oliver's words into consideration. "Well, there's one way to find out. Open up the cell, doll." He told Caitlin with a smirk.

"So, how does this work exactly? You sing some kind of spell and he goes back to normal?" Cisco asked.

Caitlin snorted from next to him. "Don't be silly Cisco. Spells and enchantments aren't real."

"That's what you think ignorant, little, science girl." Constantine said in his unique British accent. "Let me guess. You believe that everything has a logical, mathematical explanation. You can't accept that there are unexplainable things out there in the big world. But let me tell you, love, just because you don't believe in them, doesn't mean that they don't exist."

"Because they don't."

"But they do, love." John challenged back.

"What you call magic, I call advanced technology. Magic isn't real." Caitlin said as a matter of fact.

"Hell yea magic is real." Cisco said in a high pitched voice. "There's no other explanation as to why it took me twenty-seven years to get a girlfriend. I'm cursed."

"I thought Gypsy broke up with you?"

"Don't put salt in the wound Caitlin." Cisco glared at her.

"Caitlin, please let John do his thing." Oliver said hopping to speed through this pointless confrontation.

Caitlin huffed and set her hands on her hips. "Fine! Be my guest."

Cisco used his hand scan to open Slade's cell. As he did the alarm went off.

"Did you break something?" Constantine raised an eyebrow.

"Breacher?" was Oliver's response.

"Nooo. It's for me, to remind me to check the surveillance video from the bombing sight." Cisco explained. "I'll be back."

Constantine watched Cisco leave the pipeline. Oliver gave him a curt nod to go on and Caitlin watched him cautious. Constantine was used to these kinds of looks.

"Well, on with the show." He said as if it would give him strength and entered the cell. John kneeled next to Slade's body and took his head between his hands. "Let's see what is really wrong with you." He mumbled.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. Outside the cell, Oliver and Caitlin watched silently. Neither wanted to disturb him. John started whispering words in a strange language. Neither Caitlin nor Oliver could hear clearly what the wizard was saying –though Oliver wasn't sure it mattered anyway. A current of air invaded the room and the strongest Constantine's words became, the strongest the wind became too. Until suddenly it all died. John opened his eyes. Oliver took one step forward and then stopped. He looked hopeful at the man.

"What have you gotten yourself into, Oliver?" were Constantine's first words.

"So, is it a spell?"

"Yes and no." he said coming out of the cell. "You might want to close it." He nodded at Caitlin and then went on explaining. "Your friend over here is under an enchantment that is usually combined with a potion, but not a magical potion. You know of any formulas that he may have taken before?"

"Mirakuru."

"Uh, the miracle solders." He chuckled. "Good news is, I know just the thing to treat him. Some of the ingredients are a little hard to find though." He warned.

"Maybe I can help speed up the process." Barry voiced as he walked in.

"Hey, how did the crime scene go?" Oliver asked.

Barry just shook his head letting him know that it was a conversation for later. Oliver nodded understanding. Constantine smirked at the speedster and with a snap of his fingers he produced a scroll and gave it to Barry.

"I don't even know half of the ingredients in here." Barry said reading the list.

"Well, that's what Google is for." John replied smugly.

Barry sighed and folded the scroll. "Alright, I'll get right to it." He said and then run away.

"There is something else I need you to check." Oliver said to John. "Slade's armor. I think it might be enchanted too. It absorbed all of Supergirl's attacks."

John lost the smirk on his face. "Then how did you knocked him out?" he asked sounding concerned for the first time since he arrived.

"I think it was the sonic punch Barry hit him with. That's when I saw a freckle of change. And then little by little, until it came apart."

"Even magic has its limits." Caitlin offered, shrugging her shoulders.

"No, no ,no." Constantine shook his head. He reached out the piece of armor Oliver held out for him and slipped his hand on the smooth surface. "I can sense some strong protective magic on this." He said and then turned to look at Oliver. "If what you're telling me is true then this spell was cast to specifically protect the armor from Supergirl's powers. I might be dealing with demons every day, but even the spirits speak of that girl's power. There's no way just strong hit opened a hole in the spell."

"Then what was it?" Caitlin took the question out of Oliver's mouth.

"Give me some space." He requested.

Both of them took a few steps back. Constantine closed his eyes again and felt the energy of the metal. "I sense something else besides magic." He said at last. "Something I have never encountered before. Until today."

"What's that?" Caitlin spoke for both her and Oliver.

"Your fast friend, he has something inside him. And the other one too, Wally, was it?"

"The speedforce." Caitlin almost gasped. "It's an extra-dimensional energy. It's the source of Barry and Wally's powers. Every speedster has it in their system."

"Well, whatever it is, I think it has...how you mundanes call it... It appears to have short circuit the magic around the armor."

"And that's why Kara was able to destroy the suit afterward. It wasn't just Barry's sonic punch but its combination with the speedforce inside him." Oliver realized.

"Well, there you have it, all the answers. If you don't mind Oliver I do have a demonic war to stop, so I'll get going. The potion is very easy to mix, you don't need me here for that."

Oliver nodded. "Let me walk you out."

Caitlin thanked Constantine and the man smirked. Then he and Oliver walked towards the exit, as the archer filled him in on what was going on with his life and what the team was about.

"I have to say, John, it would be great if we had you on our team. We could use someone like you, we don't have anyone with magic knowledge."

Constantine actually laughed. "You have some crazy shit on your plate I'll give you that mate. But come on, you know I'm not a team player, I work better on my own."

"So is that a no?"

John shook his head. "Nah, besides, my element is more spirits and demons, no practical magic. I know of someone else, though, that could be of use and might be interested in joining your little team. I'll put in a good word."

"Alright, thank you, John."

#

"Barry, can I talk to you?" Oliver asked as soon as he spotted Barry.

"Yea, sure." He replied and followed Oliver to the next room. "I managed to find all the ingredients –not that Constantine made it easy. I gave them to Caitlin to mix them. So, what's up?"

"I hope that you're not mad at me for before."

"Nah, I know you freak out easily. You might want to apologize to Wally for yelling at him though." He chuckled. "He made a mistake, he'll learn from it."

Oliver just nodded his head. "I didn't ask you before, how are you?" the archer asked with genuine concern.

"I'm fine." Barry said confused with Oliver's sudden worry.

Oliver sighed and Barry saw the familiar look on the man's face. "Barry you can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" the speedster asked not understanding.

Oliver waved his arms in the air. "This! Today! You almost died from a bomb explosion and later you rebroke your arm punching Slade at super speed."

"That doesn't always happen. And when I do break something, I'm used to it. I'm used to the pain." Barry told him like it wasn't a big deal.

"Look, Barry, I don't know much about science or super powers or anything related to that. But there has to be a way to protect yourself. You can't keep breaking your arm every time you punch someone hard."

"I heal." Barry argued.

"What if next time you don't?" Oliver argued back.

That silenced the other man. "I'll see if I can find a way."

#

"Gather around! Gather around!" Cisco shouted for everyone to pay attention to him.

"You do realize we heard you the first time right?" Sara told him smugly.

Cisco just gave her a smile.

"What is going on Cisco?" it was Martin Stein who asked.

"I went over the surveillance footage from the bomb case to see how we could miss the second bomb that went off. The thing is that the cameras around the Italian place were all hacked at the time it all went down."

"Which means that whoever is responsible wanted to watch it." Sara said in realization.

Cisco pointed a finger at her. "That's exactly right. Then I thought to do the same thing with Slade's attack in Star City."

"Let me guess, these were hacked too?" Kara voiced out loud.

"Correct once again." Cisco clapped.

"But what does Slade's attack has to do with the attack in Central City?" asked Ray Palmer.

Cisco was more than happy to respond. He had driven his mind crazy over the fact and he came up with only one logical explanation. "You see I thought about that too, Ray. Both attacks seem random, not connected at all. But then I realized that the hacker's fingerprints were the same in both cases. So neither incident was random. They were designed to happen at the same time."

"But why?" Kara asked again.

"To study our performance." Cisco dropped the bomb. "We've made ourselves known, everybody knows that we work together. So, they wanted to learn how we are going to respond, in how much time. They wanted to learn the weaknesses and strengths of the team and how we work together."

"That's messed up." Jax commented.

"I think that's one way to put it." Stein added.

#

"What have you done Elias?" DeVoe howled with rage.

"What I wanted to do all along. Not that it was a success." Elias replied carelessly.

"How dare you go behind my back? I told you that the heroes were off limits."

"Don't forget who gave you that body. You'd still be stuck in the internet dimension if it wasn't for me." He shot back.

"You didn't do it alone. I told you to seek out Blacksmith's help and instead, you decided to use her for some petty vendetta you have against the Flash. I swear, Elias if you have compromised the Enlightenment... "

"What is your plan anyway? You never fully told me. You want the heroes out of your way, but you don't want them gone. What's your deal?"

"I want them distracted because they would never approve of my plan. I don't despise them, I admire them. I admire how goodhearted and selfless they are. Imagine if the world was filled with people with the same values?"

" _That's_ what the Enlightenment is for? Turn everyone into a superhero? You're crazy." Elias chuckled humorlessly.

"I'm crazy because I want to make the world an Eden? Because I envision a better future? When I bring the Enlightenment in the minds of the people and reprogram them to have the same values as Supergirl or the Flash you despise so much, there will be no one left with a bad bone. That's how we'll save the world, Elias. By curing the evil from people's hearts."

In the next room, Iris West and Lois Lane stayed hidden.

"Did you hear anything of what they're saying?" Iris asked the other reporter.

Lois shook her head."No, only a few words that I can't make sense of. Do you have the pictures?"

"Right here." Iris waved her phone.

"Then I say we get out of here before they find us."

Iris didn't need any more motivation and she quickly texted: _We need extraction,_ to _Oliver Queen._


	30. Getting answers

Chapter 30

Barry was staring blankly through the equation written on the glass board in his lab. His attention had already drifted away twenty minutes ago. He had not even come close to solving his problem. F=ma = F=m(u/t) he had written with lazy handwriting. Well, he had the force and he had the speed. What he was lacking off was the mass, that annoying m in the middle of the equation. And that was a problem if he wanted to continue throwing sonic punches without breaking his bones every time. Barry chewed on his bottom lip and sighed. He then cupped his face and tried not to growl. This was a nightmare. Barry heard a small knock on the lab door.

"Hey, Barr." Joe entered holding a file.

Barry came out of his hiding behind his hands and looked over at Joe.

"Hey, Joe, what's up?"

Detective West took steady steps towards his foster son. He patted his back as he walked by and pulled a nearby chair closer.

"I have the coroner's report for you." He waved the folder in the air.

Barry felt his brain restart. He jumped on his feet and snatched the report out of Joe's hands.

"What does it say?" he asked, although he is already going through it.

"How am I supposed to know? I don't understand all those sciency stuff." Joe replied sarcastically.

Barry hummed incomprehensibly as he read the coroner's report. All the tests had come up normal – just like Barry had guessed. What was missing from the report, though, was the brain tests that he had requested. An x-ray of both victims brains was included, but nothing more in-depth. He couldn't understand why the coroner would refuse Barry the examination. He sighed.

Well, there were other ways to get the answers that he needed.

Joe saw Barry drop the file on his desk and sigh in frustration. "What it is?" he asked, his voice filled with alarm.

"These aren't all the tests that I asked." Barry explained chuckling humorlessly. "I need a full examination of the victims' brains but the coroner just send me a simple x-ray. Oh, and in his notes, he wrote that the cause of death was inconclusive." He continued frustrated. "I mean, I told him that it's most definitely from a stroke, but he keeps ignoring me because the young age of both of them makes it impossible. I mean, seriously, we live in Central City, he should be suspicious even from that."

Joe was frowning when Barry stopped his upset rumble.

"So is there any other way to do those tests?"

Barry let his long limbs fall onto the chair and then rubbed his forehead. "I guess I could take one of the bodies to STAR labs and have Caitlin do the examination."

"So I guess you'll be stealing the morgue?"

Barry laughed out loud. It was a long while since Joe had heard such a heartfelt laugh come from his foster son.

"Who thought we'd come to this?" Barry asked rhetorically in between chuckles.

#

Iris couldn't see what Lois was doing, she could only hear a metallic sound and then the lid of the air pipe giving away. Lois shared a look with Iris above her shoulder and pressed her finger on her lips signaling Iris to keep quiet. Then carefully, she picked her head down the nozzle of the pipe to surveillance the room down.

"It's clear, follow me quietly." She told her new reporter friend.

Lois jumped down and then waited for Iris to follow.

"That was very ninja-like of you Lois."Iris exclaimed in a whisper feeling the rush of their new adventure pumping adrenalin in her veins.

Lois winked at her. "I have many years of investigating reporting under my belt. Not all of my best stories revolve around Clark. Stick with me and I'll teach you my best tricks."

"Last time I did anything similar a bunch of criminals shot at me and to get away I had to jump out of a building and Barry caught me in the air." Iris shared one of her favorite adventures remembering the feeling of free falling. "I was scared to death, but at the same time, it was exciting. And afterward, Barry was all like 'No story is worth your life'."

Lois chuckled. "Of course he said that. Trust me I've been there." She assured her. "Now let's check his desk for clues as to what he is planning."

Iris nodded and followed Lois to Elias' desk. "Thank you for coming with me Lois." She added as she searched through the first drawer. "I don't want anything to happen to Barry."

"Oh, I wouldn't let you come alone. Oliver was stupid to let you come without back up. And don't worry, nothing is going to happen to Barry. Not if we have anything to do with it."

"Hey, look at this." Iris called reaching for some documents that looked suspicious.

Lois was immediately by her side. The two journalists examined curiously the papers. There was a drawing of a machine. Iris could bet all her money that it was the speed machine that Wally went to use. All around it were formulas and equations. Neither woman was an expert in physics. These formulas were far too advanced for their high school knowledge. The only people who could make sense of it were Barry, Cisco and Caitlin along with Professor Stein, Ray Palmer and maybe Jax. Unfortunately, none of them were here.

"Hey, take a look at these side notes." Lois pointed at the side of a couple circled formulas. "Lightning current, speed limit. This must be what we are looking for."

Iris turned the page and her stomach dropped. "Speedforce extorsion. And here it point's to...speedforce connection. Oh, my God! I'm going to be sick." She exhaled feeling nauseous.

"Hey, it's ok, it's going to be alright." Lois rubbed her back soothingly. "We are not going to let doctor Insane here steal your man's speed. We have the evidence. We'll take photos of them and we'll take them to the team and all of us will come up with a plan to stop his sorry ass, alright?"

Iris nodded feeling a little calmer but mostly pissed off. Who did this man think he was that wanted to mess with her man?

"What have you done, Elias?" they heard a voice shout from the next room.

Iris and Lois exchanged panicked looks. The same thought crossed their minds and nodding they both ducked underneath the desk. They would hide until it was clear for them to go and if not Oliver Queen better bring his ass over and extract them.

#

"Hey kid."

Oliver raised his head and looked over at the sight of Slade Wilson slowly coming to. The man carefully supported himself on one elbow and rolled over in a somewhat sitting position resting his back on the squared wall of the metahuman cell. Oliver stood on his feet and approached the cell. His blue eyes stayed on Slade, as he set his right palm on the glass he was looking through.

"Slade?" he asked unsure, wanting to know if it was really his friend and not a magic controlled version of him.

"It's me, kid." Slade croaked.

His voice was rough, a little more than usual. The ex-mercenary looked tired like he could barely stand in this position. His hair was messy and his skin had leftovers from the sweat the potion caused. Caitlin had been thorough once again. Once Barry had assembled all the ingredients on Constantine's list, the doctor had mixed them perfectly. Oliver watched as Caitlin prepared the curing potion like it was second nature to her. He felt lucky to have her. The archer felt lucky most of these days. He looked back almost seven years ago when he was adamant to follow this life alone. Now he wondered how he could have been such a fool. Knowing and working with these people was a blessing. The world had become a lot messier than he remembered. Oliver didn't say it often – if not at all – but that was the truth. A truth he was willing to admit now.

"How are you feeling?" he asked sighing with compassion.

"Like a train wreck to be honest." Slade answered and then he chuckled quietly. "Thanks for saving me, kid. And those friends of yours, thank them too. If it weren't for them, I'd still be under those bastards control."

Heels clicking echoed in the pipeline prison. Oliver averted his gaze to see Caitlin approaching with a fast pace.

"I saw from the cortex that he woke up. How is he? Did the cure worked?" she asked Oliver.

"It worked, sweetheart." Slade replied for Oliver. "Thank you for freeing me from that nightmare."

Caitlin's face looked pleased. She took a few steps closer, but not as close as Oliver. "Do you remember what happened?"

Slade didn't even blink as he stared at her. "I remember everything." He said honestly. "I remember everything that I did. It was like it was me but I had no control over my free will."

"So you are the infamous Deathstroke."

Slade chuckled. "I don't go by that name anymore, sweetheart."

"Do you know who did this to you?" Oliver asked this time.

Slade shook his head tiredly. "I don't know his name. He was older than me, he had black hair and a weird mustache –too old fashioned for my taste – and he had an English accent. He was with someone else though. And that guy, I do know is name."

"Who was it?" Oliver tried not to sound demanding.

"He said his name was doctor Darwin Elias. He approached me in an underground bar in Star City less than a week ago. He wanted me to do a job for him. He offered to help me find my son if I got rid of those that surrounded the Flash."

"So, Elias does want to capture Barry." Caitlin realized and looked at Oliver concerned.

"He does." Slade confirmed. "But I turned down his offer. I know that you are friends with speedy boy, Oliver, and I wouldn't hurt you in any way. Nor the people that you care about."

Oliver nodded in understanding. He deeply appreciated Slade doing this for him. He knew how much he wanted to find his son. If it were William, Oliver didn't know what he would do in his position. "Thank you, Slade."

"I want to do some tests on you, to make sure that everything is fine." Caitlin said.

Slade looked at the doctor unfazed, even a little cocky. "I just need some rest, sweetheart. I'll be fine."

Caitlin wanted to argue, but Oliver gave her a look that said to just go with it. So, she sighed in frustration and shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, then let's move him to the medical bay. You'll rest better in a bed."

Both men agreed without hesitation. Caitlin placed her palm on the scan and opened the door of the cell.

" _Caitlin, are you down there? I need your help."_ Barry's voice echoed in the pipeline.

"I got him. Go help Barry." Oliver reassured her.

Caitlin nodded before leaving. Oliver entered the metahuman cell and placed his arm underneath Slade's shoulder blades. Together they counted to three and then Oliver got him up.

#

"So, essentially the victim's brain overloaded with much more information than it could handle. That caused it to overheat and finally shut down." Caitlin explained to Barry as she read the results of the MRI she had done on the boy's brain.

"So, you think we're dealing with a meta? Possibly someone who connects with another person's brain to extract information?"

"That could be possible, but I don't see how that could overheat the other person's brain."

"If the connection was both ways it could." Barry explained. "Perhaps the victim could extract information from the meta in the same way, but because his brain can't store information like the meta does, it overloaded."

"That could explain it." Caitlin said skeptically.

"Hey, guys." Kara popped her head inside.

Both Caitlin and Barry turned to look at her. "Hey, Kara. Did Stein show you the red sunlight?" Barry asked.

Kara grinned with excitement. "He did, it's amazing. Now Sara can show me some kick-ass moves." She laughed. "I actually came to tell you that I'm going back to National City to find my friend Lucy Lane. Felicity and Ray said that everything is ready to start the company and they are going to need her to set up some things. Is that a corpse?"

Barry nodded. "He died from information overload."

Kara made a sad face. "Poor guy. Anyway, I'm out of here. Call me if you need anything."

"Alright, bye Kara." They waved at her.

Turning around to leave Kara saw Oliver return to the cortex. She said her goodbyes to him too and then flew out. Oliver hurried inside. Barry immediately became alert seeing the worried look on his face.

"We have a problem." The archer told him.

"What happened?"

"So, you know how we said that we were going to investigate Elias right?"

The speedster closed his eyes for a second. "What did you do?"

"Well, Iris and I talked about it and-"

"You did what?" Barry raised his voice. "Please tell me that Iris isn't where I think she is?"

"She and Lois went to investigate Elias in his lab." Oliver told him. "She just sent me a text that they need extraction right now."

Barry sighed and cursed feeling worried and angry at the same time. He worried for Iris' safety, but he also recognized that going behind his back was something Iris would do for the same reason. And damn Oliver for not talking to him about it. Barry sighed again and then without saying a word a yellow streak of lightning exited the lab, leaving only Oliver and Caitlin alone. Oh, and the corpse –who could forget that.

There was a moment of silence between Caitlin and Oliver. "You must have known that this was how he would react." She finally told him.

The archer nodded his head. "I know. Anyway, do you know where Cisco is?"

"You want him to vibe Slade's son?"

"Am I that predictable?"

Caitlin chuckled quietly and shook her head. "No, it's what any of us would do." She told him honestly. "He is at his workshop working on the Kryptonian crystal."

Oliver nodded a thank you before turning around and leaving in search for the metahuman.

#

"Like you're one to talk. Your little power display today killed two kids." Elias shot back at DeVoe. "You can't even control your powers. And after what you did we'll have the CCPD investigating."

"They won't find anything to tie to us." Clifford said confidently.

"Are you sure? Because so far your precious plan has gone off the rails."

That was the last thing Lois and Iris heard before they suddenly found themselves in Iris and Barry's loft. Barry was staring at them with an angry look on his face, his hands crossed in front of his chest.

"What do you two think you're doing?" he demanded softly. Even as upset as he was, he couldn't yell at Iris.

Iris didn't comprehend what he told her. Just seeing him standing on his feet alive and well was the only thing that mattered to her. Instinctively she shot forward falling into his arms.

"Barr, you're ok." She breathed in his familiar scent.

Barry hugged her growing soft until he remembered why he was upset with her in the first place. "Iris, what were you thinking, breaking into Elias' office?"

"I was thinking that I wouldn't let anyone harm you." Iris said immediately. "I was really scared, Barry. The way you looked after that bomb explosion, I..." tears fell down her face remembering how dead his broken body looked laying in STAR labs. "I thought you were going to die. I thought I was going to lose you."

Barry wiped the tears from her cheeks. He felt guilty that Iris had to see him like this. "Hey, it's ok. Look at me, I'm fine, all healed. I won't ever leave you. I promise." He tried to soothe her. "Besides, who is going to feed the turtle if I'm gone? You definitely won't."

Iris chuckled quietly and buried her face in Barry's chest.

"Is that why you went after Elias? To keep your mind from thinking that I was going to die?"

He felt her nodding her head. "It's a good thing that I found Lois too."

Barry looked over at the other reporter, who had walked over to admire the turtle, wanting to give the couple privacy. "I was bored in Metropolis. So, I came over to kick ass with my new friend." She explained shrugging.

Iris raised her head to look at him. "Barry, we think we found what he's planning, we took pictures."

"Ok, then we'll share them with the others at STAR labs and come up with a plan to stop him."

Iris nodded and bit her lip. "Barry? I want us to get married."

Barry stared surprised at her. "Really? I thought we were going to wait."

Iris shook her head. "No, I...After I saw you laying on that bed looking so bad and the thought of losing you, I don't want to wait anymore."

"Iris..."

"What if this happens again, Barry?" she told him upset.

"You won't lose me. I won't leave you." He tried to reassure her.

But iris just shook her head. "No, I want to marry you. I want to be your wife."

And at that moment Barry saw in her eyes that she really meant it. She wanted to marry him. It made his heart flutter. He cupped her face lovingly. "Ok." He whispered.

"Ok." She repeated like it was a prayer.

#

"I hope all those books aren't for me. Did you steal a library?" William entered his bedroom to find Barry with a stack of physics books.

Barry looked up from the book he was reading and smiled playfully at William. "Ha, you could say that. I checked them out today. They're for me."

William nodded his head and came closer leaving his bag on the bed. "Why do you need so many physics books anyway? I thought you knew everything."

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, but I don't know everything. And sometimes even when you do know the answer to something, it's ok to revisit the books to realize that you already do." The CSI told him. "So, how was practice?" he changed the subject.

William sighed. "Good, but tiring. My entire body hurts. Sorry for being late. My coach held me a little longer."

"It's fine William. I understand."

"No, because I know that you have an actual job." He shook his head.

"William, I told you, it's fine." Barry assured the kid. "What sport do you play? Football? Or maybe you decided to follow your father's footsteps and took archery."

But the kid just shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I'm not much of a team player and I think taking archery would be too much pressure to, you know, measure up to Oliver's skills."

"I don't know. I think it would be cool if you guys bonded over something. And Oliver's only good at archery and picking up girls. I'd pick archery." He joked making William laugh. "So, what are you training for?"

"Track."

"Track, ha?" Barry arched an eyebrow amused.

"Yes. When I ran it's like I can put all my problems behind me. And plus, the Flash is my favorite superhero."

"Wow, just don't tell that to Oliver."

"Oh, he knows." William laughed.

"Are you sure you're not actually the Flash's kid?" Barry joked with a humorous glimmer in his eyes.

"I wish." William laughed. "But Oliver is cool though. I actually like him."

Barry couldn't help but smile at that. "He's cool."

"So why do you need all these books?"

"It's for a project. Oliver asked me to look into something."

"Really? What you turned him into a nerd too?"

"I think he's cool because of me actually." Barry joked again making them both laugh. "Alright, pay attention. Imagine that this pen is a twig, alright? It's easy to break, but if there were ten twigs together it'd be harder to break."

"Right." William said his eyes glued to the pen.

Barry went on explaining. "They are stronger together. Now if this pen was made of steel instead, you wouldn't be able to break it. Can you guess why?"

"Because it's different material?" William said unsure.

"Yes, but why is steel stronger than wood?"

William shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"It's the same thing that happens with the ten twigs. The steel's atoms are bonded close together in a way that the wood's atoms aren't. The tighter the atoms are bonded the strongest the material is. What I'm trying to figure out is how to make this wooden stick as strong as steel, or just stronger."

"But why?" William asked confused.

"Can't tell you. It's a secret between me and Oliver. We even pinky swore."

"Wait, for real? What are you five?" William laughed.

Barry tried to look offended, but in the end, he cracked and laughed too. "Alright, bring out your books now. What are we going to learn today?"

#

 _Killer Frost shot an icicle aiming for her heart. Caitlin moved out of the way, but the icicle still managed to scratch her arm. It burned and Caitlin heard herself moaning. Her vision was getting blurry. Killer Frost smirked evil at her as she prepared to shot another icicle at her and end her life._

Caitlin came to screaming at the top of her lungs. Her arm, the one Killer Frost had hurt was bleeding. Caitlin looked over at Sara frowning in pain.

"You didn't tell me that I could be hurt in the stupid quest." She scowled.

Sara rolled her eyes. "How was I supposed to know? But it makes sense if you think about it. Killer Frost is a part of you, an unwanted one, but still a part of you."

"I fail to see how that makes sense." Caitlin groaned again.

"Are you ready to try again?"

Caitlin's eyes bulged. "What!? I'm not going back there. And besides, she's not exactly talking."

Sara sighed. "Caitlin, this thing will work only if you want it to. Otherwise, we are just wasting our time."

Caitlin's shoulders fell in defeat. "Fine, let's try again." She sighed.

" _ **Back so soon? I thought you run off like a scared little puppy**_ _." Killer Frost mocked Caitlin._

" _I'm not going anywhere until you and I have a chat."Caitlin replied strongly._

 _Killer Frost looked at her unimpressed. "_ _ **I'm not interested in chatting with you.**_ _"_

" _Why do you hate me?"_

" _ **It's not like the feeling isn't mutual.**_ _"_

" _You want to hurt people."Caitlin gasped accusingly._

" _ **And you want to hurt me. I guess we are even.**_ _"_

 _Caitlin frowned and gave Killer Frost a questioning look. "What do you mean?"_

 _Killer Frost chuckled humorlessly. She moved her weight from one foot to the other and her hands streamed frost. "_ _ **Well, that's rich.**_ _" Her cold voice sent shivers down Caitlin's spine. "_ _ **You are the one who wants to get rid of me, to kill me. But not if I succeed first. By taking the first life and become the true Killer Frost, you...**_ _" she pointed at Caitlin "_ _ **will disappear forever.**_ _"_

" _I only want you gone because you are evil and want to hurt people." Caitlin defended herself._

 _Killer Frost's eyes glowed. "_ _ **You just assumed that. You never gave me a chance.**_ _" She shouted angrily. "_ _ **You just made up your mind because you were afraid that you'll become like our Earth-2 self. Did you ever wonder why you end up with two personalities when no other meta did?**_ _" she questioned. "_ _ **What does Barry always say? Our powers don't define who we are, we do. So why is it different for you?**_

 _Caitlin stared agape at Killer Frost. Her mouth was opening and closing not knowing how to respond. She didn't know what to say, she was at loss of words._

 _Killer Frost chuckled darkly again. "_ _ **You don't know, do you?**_ _" she mocked. "_ _ **Oh, Caitlin, you are so pathetic. I was always a part of you. That anger you felt when mom abandoned you after dad died. And when Ronnie died too, after the particle accelerator explosion.**_ _" She reminded her. "_ _ **That cold-hearted bitch you became when you closed up after every tragedy because you didn't want to deal with your feelings. That was me, darling. I am the one that helped you through the toughest parts of your life. And that's how you thank me now? By destroying me?**_ _"_

" _I-uh..."_

" _ **Oh, boo-hoo!I'm Caitlin Snow and everything in my life goes wrong!**_ _" she mocked her again. "_ _ **You are pathetic. We both know that I am the strong one. I have to say, though, you always did a good job keeping me down.**_ _" She admitted. "_ _ **Until we got our powers that is. They helped me get off my lease and get my own form.**_ _"_

" _I didn't know." Caitlin said in a small voice._

 _Killer Frost snorted in return. "_ _ **How could you, you didn't ask me what I wanted, you just made up your mind about me. You were scared, I understand that. But you hurt me, Caitlin. Now you have forced my hand, you made me this way.**_ _"_

" _Maybe we can work this out. We can stop hurting each other."_

 _Killer Frost raised an eyebrow. "_ _ **What, you think some bonding sessions and we'll become best friends? Please!**_ _"_

" _It's a start. I can let you out more often and you can give me back control. That's the only way to trust each other." She proposed. "But, you have to promise to not hurt anyone."_

" _ **I don't know.**_ _" Killer Frost said skeptically. "_ _ **I'll think about it.**_ _"_

#

"I'm done." William set his pensile down having finished all the exercises Barry told him to do.

Barry looked surprised from the book he was currently reading. "All of them? Already?" a deep slit formed between his eyebrows as he frowned at William's nod. "Alright, let's see if they are correct." To Barry's surprise, they were. "Well done, kid. You are smart. You must take after your mother." He said making William snort trying not to laugh.

"Hey, Barry, can I ask you something?" he asked shyly.

Barry sucked in an invisible breath as he realized what that was. William was finally going to ask him about his mother's death. Which meant that he was getting one step closer to making him open up about his demons too.

William wasn't sure how to place in words what he really wanted to know. He had thought about it in his little head over and over again until the line was perfect. But now that it was time to voice it out loud, William found it flawed.

"How was it after your mom died?"

No, it wasn't what William had originally wanted to say. He had overstepped his boundaries. He panicked and opened his mouth to take it back, hoping that Barry wouldn't be mad at him, but the CSI was looking at him with a calm, small smile. He didn't look mad at all.

"Alright, I guess we are done for today." He said with the same calm and closed the books on William's desk. "Ok," he sighed. "The most important thing to have when you're dealing with the loss of someone you love is to have a good support system. When my mother died, the police arrested my father for her murder –falsefully. But I didn't have any other family and I was going to go into the system and possibly spent my life jumping from one bad family to the other until I turned eighteen. I was lucky, though, and went to live with my best friend and her father and it's because of them that I was able to finally heal after many many years." He paused for a second a faraway look clouding his green eyes. "I definitely didn't make it easy for them. After my mother died I was consumed by this constant anger. I was mad at the police for taking my dad away and for not listening to me when I told them repeatedly what really happened. I was mad at my best friend's father for not letting me visit my dad in prison, although my dad didn't want me too. I was mad at the man who killed my mother. I was mad at everyone. But in truth, I was filled with so much sorrow that it was easier to be mad at everyone than to show weakness. What I realized, though, was that you can run from your feelings for so long. And one night, I broke down and I cried so much for the unfairness of the world. And my best friend, Iris, was there with me, she held my hand and patted my head and told me that she was never going to leave me." Barry sighed again at the painful memories. "It takes a long time for life to seem brighter. At first, you believe that you are never going to escape the pain and the loneliness and the anger. I'm still coping with what happened that night, but I no longer feel that it's chocking me. Little by little, it gets better."

"Did you ever blame yourself...for what happened?" William asked quietly.

Barry nodded. "I did. I used to think that if I had done something, then maybe I could have prevented it from happening. I felt that way until Joe and Iris made me realize that I couldn't really do anything to save my mom."

 _But now it is my fault since I let Thawne kill her again,_ he thought to himself, when he couldn't exactly say that to William. He had made a huge mistake when he saved Nora ( even though Oliver had reassured him that anyone would have made the same choice if they had his powers), so when he reset the timeline and let Thawne kill her, it felt like it was him that drew the knife into her heart. And that hurt more than anything.

"I feel guilty too." He heard William whisper.

"For what reason?"

"Because of my mom. She was so young when he had me and a part of me felt like I was a burden, that I held her back from going after her dreams because she had to take care of me." He admitted. "And so I tried to be a good kid and not be difficult. I did what she told me to do, I always listened to her."

"William, I don't think that your mother ever felt like you were a burden to her."

William shrugged. "I never cared about my father before. My mom told me that he was out of our lives and I never questioned if that was because he didn't want to be a part of our family or because he was not alive. When I learned that Oliver was my real father I was upset with him. I thought that he simply didn't want me before. Then they told me that my mom kept it from him and I was so mad at mom for that. I mean she could have had help all this time and I would know my father. It was the same day that I learned that Oliver was the Green Arrow. But ever since the island I've been afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Barry asked.

"I'm afraid that one of these days a madman will kidnap me again and use me against the Green Arrow and Oliver will be too afraid for me and he'll die and my mom too and I'll be alone. I have nightmares that I'm the reason both my parents die and that terrifies me."

"Have you talked about this with your mother or Oliver?"

William shook his head.

"I think that you should. After what you have been through it's natural to feel this way, but it always helps to talk to someone. It's not good to keep things inside. You should talk to your parents, tell them what you are scared of."

"Like I told you. I know that Oliver asked you to talk to me. I'm not stupid. They could have picked anyone to help me, but they chose the guy that is not even a teacher."

"He was worried." Barry didn't deny it. "Both him and your mom. You are a smart kid, William. Your parents should be proud of you. And I'm glad that I met you. Oliver spoke very highly of you."

"I'm glad I met you too, Barry, you are cool. A little weird, but cool."

Barry laughed. "Hey, can I continue tutoring you, even though my original purpose here is done?"

William smiled and nodded fondly. "Sure."

#

Later that night in Kara Danvers apartment she Mon-El, Winn and Lucy Lace were playing a game of charades. The group had stopped counting down wins because of how amazingly awful both Winn and Mon-El were at that game. Kara and Lucy just had fun laughing at how terrible they were.

It had been easy to talk to Lucy about joining Smoak technologies. Lucy was a smart girl and the fact that Lois (her sister) had kept her in the loop had helped a lot. She had easily agreed, so Kara gave her both Ray's and Felicity's phone numbers to contact them and arrange everything.

Kara had missed Lucy. Both talking and hanging out with her. That's how they ended up having a game night.

"Ok, I'll be right back. Don't cheat boys." She warned them while she got up to answer her phone that was ringing. "Hey, Barry." She said cheerfully seeing his name flashing on her screen.

"Hey, Kara, I hope I'm not interrupting."

"No, no it's fine." She reassured him. "What is it?"

"Look, I know it's last minute, but I have to leave for a while, so every decision that has to made falls on you alone until I get back."

Kara frowned. "Where are you going?"

"To Earth-2 to get Harry's help. Oliver was concerned about easily I can get hurt and-"

"Is this about that sonic punch?"

"How did you know?" Barry sounded confused over the phone.

"I have super hearing. Even when I don't want to I sometimes overhear things." She explained.

She heard Barry sigh. "Anyway, I have an idea about how to avoid that, but I'm going to need his help. I won't be gone long. Only a couple of days, four days tops. I'll call the others to let them know, alright?"

"Ok, Barry, have a good trip and I hope you find your answers." She wished him. "Oh, and don't worry. I'll take care of everything here, count on me."


	31. The world vs Elias

Chapter 31

The cortex was filled with heavy silence as the team waited for Professor Stein to finish reading the documents Iris and Lois had brought. The anticipation weighted down on all of them and it almost felt painful to wait. Kara watched them, her blue eyes wandering from one person to the other. Oliver had, as always, a serious and hard expression on his face, as he tried to appear professional. His jaw was strong and he appeared to be biting his cheek. On the other side, Iris sat anxiously with Lois having a comforting hand on her shoulder. Kara could hear the woman's heart beating fast and heavy from the sadness she felt. She could imagine how difficult all this was for Iris without Barry by her side. The speedster had left already to visit Earth-2 and get Harry's help. Kara wished that he returned successfully. Unfortunately, that left her in charge of the team, a task they supposedly shared, but only because Barry was adamant that he couldn't be the team leader on his own. In Kara's opinion, Barry could manage just fine and that became true as she happily stepped behind him and let him take charge.

Felicity and Ray Palmer were missing from the cortex. They were both in Star City meeting with Lucy Lane to finalize the contracts and other responsibilities that Kara had no clue about so that they finally could start production in Smoak Technologies. Kara had flown Lucy with her when she left National City and then from the breach room at STAR labs Lucy walked through the portal that Cisco built to lead to the Arrow Bunker in Star City.

Sara was currently in Star City too, visiting her father. She had promised Quentin that he was going to see more of her from now on. Unfortunately, that was a promise she hadn't kept until now because of how preoccupied she had been with the team. But honestly, who could have guessed that the world was more messed up than they had imagined. Evil came and went so fast they didn't have time to breathe. As for Jax and Wally, they had decided to take a break at Jitters. The two of them exchanged stories and bonded over their similar love for engineering.

Kara's eyes moved over to Caitlin and Cisco. Neither could look up to Stein afraid of what the Professors body language would tell them. Instead, Cisco focused on pinching the designed hole in his pants and Caitlin chewed on her lower lip while her eyes marveled the mopped floor. Martin Stein's sigh suddenly grasped their attention like a magnet. The older man let the sheet fall from his hands with the rest of them and then raised his head to look at each and every one of them.

"Somehow I don't think he has good news." Kara heard Cisco whisper to Caitlin.

"I'm afraid that Iris and Miss Lane were correct." Stein sighed again. "Dr. Elias is planning to create a machine that would theoretically transfer the Speedforce connection from a speedster to the machine."

Kara heard Oliver curse under his breath and Caitlin and Cisco inhale sharply. Iris tried to swallow a whine. A lump rose in her throat choking her. Lois felt the woman shake next to her. She sent her a sad look and reached her arm around her shoulders to hug her.

"You said theoretically. Can he actually do it?" Oliver asked.

"Well contrary to what scientists want to believe, theory and action are far from the same."

"So there is a chance that it can backfire?"

"From how Barry has described his encounters with the Speedforce, it appears to be sentient." Caitlin entered the conversation. "So it's only natural that it will need a living organism to connect with and allow it to harness its power. It's similar to how an object can't move on its own."

Cisco was next continuing Caitlin's line of thought. "But Elias isn't trying to connect it to himself. If he hasn't found a way to trick the Speedforce into thinking that the machine he is using is living then what could happen?"

Caitlin frowned, thinking for a second. "I can't say for sure, but worst case scenario it could cause an explosion similar to the particle accelerator."

"We can't let that happen." Oliver said with conviction.

"What happens to Barry if Elias is successful?" Kara asked in return.

Caitlin, Stein and Cisco looked at each other for a brief moment. That was a good question, one neither had considered until now. "Well, the design is to transfer the connection between the two, so Barry will no longer have the Speedforce in his system, but I don't know what that'll do to his body." Caitlin provided the answer.

"One thing is for sure, we can't let Elias go on with his plan. He thinks he knows how the Speedforce works, but he has no idea." Stein said and everyone agreed with him. "From what I can tell from the formula here he hasn't thought about the difference of the Speedforce bearers. It's most likely that we're looking at a possible explosion."

"There's one thing that I don't understand." Kara spoke again. "Why is he doing this? I mean if he wanted access to the Speedforce he could have done it when Wally was there. I thought that was the whole purpose of the power outage. Force a speedster to use the machine he built and steal his powers."

"He didn't want any speedster, he wanted the Flash." Iris replied. "He was very specific that he wanted him. So I dug everything I could find on him and the only thing that stood out was that his wife was killed two years ago the night Zoom let his army destroy the city."

"So he blames the Flash for not saving his wife." Cisco concluded. "Great, a mad scientist with a grudge." He snorted sarcastically.

Oliver cleared his throat and folded his arms in front of his chest. "So what is our course of action?" he asked the room, his eyes landing on Kara. "Let's go get that son of a bitch."

"And what evidence are you going to present when you hand him over to the police?" Lois asked him. "Elias isn't some mob boss. He's a respectful scientist."

Oliver gave her a wild look. "We have evidence." He pointed at the pile spread across the desk.

"No, Lois is right." Iris shook her head. "How are we going to explain how we came to the procession of these?"

"It definitely wasn't the legal way." Caitlin mumbled.

"The same goes for my dad. He can't present the case to Captain Singh without a legitimate reason to go after Elias." Iris continued.

Kara felt frustrated. She huffed and rested her hands on her hips before starting pacing. "So, we know that Elias is up to no good, but we can't turn him in because the evidence that we have are compromised."

"Basically, yes." Lois confirmed. "He could argue that he had nothing to do with it and that we're setting him up."

"He would say that anyway." Oliver argued.

"That's true. But if we could find a way to get the police to investigate his lab before he finds out that we're on to him and get rid of the evidence, then we'll get him." Iris replied this time.

"But we know that it's true." Kara pressured frustrated.

She wished that Barry was here. This whole meeting felt like a dysfunctioning attempt to be a team. She had to do this, though. Barry had trusted her with the responsibility of leading the team. It's just that it'd be easier if they shared the burden. Kara chewed on her lip and then suddenly her eyes brightened as an idea hit her.

"What if we write an article about it?" she suggested. "If it's out there then the police won't have a choice but to investigate. And...reporters can keep their sources secret."

"And not just that. With all the information out there, Elias is pretty much screwed. Once you're in the papers it's very hard for the stench to go away. Let's let the people decide if he's guilty or not." Lois added.

"I like that idea." Iris said the same time Oliver rolled his eyes and snorted. "Like that won't alert Elias to clean his desk."

"Well, I doubt Dr. Douchebag reads regular newspaper." Cisco replied sarcastically.

Oliver glared at him. "And how can you be so sure about that?" he demanded.

"Because I don't and I'm a scientist." Everyone heard Martin Stein say. "When I was his age I was arrogant, a narcissist too. A dreamer who would do anything to achieve his goals. I have a feeling Dr. Elias is the same way." He explained.

"You should do it. You should write the article." Kara looked over at Iris.

Iris looked around the room and then back at Kara. "I'm not the only reporter here."

The Kryptonian gave her a warm smile. "But this is happening in Central City. And...Snapper would never let me publish the article without revealing my source and I'm not about to post another blog, because I like my job and I want to keep it." Kara rumbled.

Iris nodded understanding were Kara was coming from. There was still something that bothered her. "It's not fair. Lois was with me, I couldn't have done it without her."

"And you can thank me by buying me lunch." Lois winked at her. "Kara is right, this belongs to Central City news. And besides, this crazy ass scientist is after your man, only fair for you to cause his downfall."

Iris looked around the room again. All her friends had positive expressions on their faces. Caitlin nodded and smiled at her reassuringly.

"You should do this, Iris." Oliver said with conviction.

Iris breathed feeling stronger with the strength each of them gave her. She nodded, finally, and her eyes filled with the same amount of conviction Oliver had. "Ok, let's get that son of a bitch."

#

Sara Lance knocked impatiently on her father's door. She waited a few moments and when he didn't answer she knocked again. This time she heard noise coming from inside.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Stop knocking like a..." Quentin Lance lost his words when he saw his daughter in front of him. "Sara?" he couldn't help but mutter in astonishment. Then his lips broke into a bright, big smile. "I thought you forgot all about your old man. It's about time you visited me." He laughed as he hugged her tight.

"Well, I'm sorry. We've been a little busy."

"So I've noticed."

"But I'm here now. So...can I come inside or are we going to catch up at the porch?" she asked playfully.

Quentin threw a hand over Sara's shoulders and with the other hand he pushed the door wide open. "Well, you are the only daughter I have left." He replied walking inside. "You want a beer?"

"Please." Sara exhaled.

Quentin moved to the fridge and grabbed a beer. He couldn't have one for himself, after all, he had bad history with alcohol. Nowadays he just kept some light beer for guests. Sara walked over at the family pictures hanging from the wall. Her eyes lingered on the one with her, Laurel, Quentin and her mother. The whole family. It had been many years since they could call themselves that. Sara raised her hand and traced her fingers on the photo longingly. As much as she loved kicking ass, she missed her family.

"So, how is everything going on with all of you?" she heard Quentin ask.

Sara snorted and let her hand fall weightlessly on her side. "It's a mess." She admitted. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Quentin approached her handing her an open bottle of beer. He visually froze when he saw what Sara was staring at, but he shook it off quickly. "Here." He said gaining her attention.

Sara turned around and took the bottle from her father's hand giving him a sad smile in the process.

"So, have you seen her in Central City? Your mother?" Quentin nodded towards the picture she was previously gazing.

Sara shrugged. "Not really. Central City is an unsurprisingly big city. And if mom was clever, she would have moved a long time ago." She said nodding to her father to follow her to the couch. Sara curled her feet on the soft, cozy sofa. She felt it sink when her father joined her. "Do you ever think about her?"

"Not anymore." Quentin sighed. "I used to hold onto hope that one day she might come back, but that was a long time ago. Has Oliver told you about Earth-2 Laurel?"

It was Sara's turn to sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Yep, he filled me in the whole evil doppelganger drama. I haven't seen her though, and I'm not sure I want to." She admitted. "I mean, she's not really our Laurel, my sister."

"It's very confusing. All the parallel universes crap it's hard to understand. Deep down I know that she's not really our Laurel, but when I saw her, all I could see was my little girl."

Sara gave her father a small, sad smile, then she set her beer on the floor and curled on his side. "I'm here." She said trying to sound comforting.

"You are the only family a have left baby girl." He kissed her head.

"Hey, do you want to flip through the photo album?" she suggested suddenly.

"Sure, and after I'll treat my baby to dinner."

"Dad, I'm perfectly fine with Big Belly Burger." Sara objected.

"You are my only daughter that is still alive and I don't see you very often. So I think you just have to suffer through a fancy dinner with your father." He told her humorous.

Sara decided to just stop complaining.

#

Captain Singh read the title of the latest issue of Central City Picture News over and over again. "HUMANITARIAN OR A MAN SCIENTIST?" The caustic article in which Iris West painted Dr. Darwin Elias as a greedy scientist whose project is going to blow up the entire city. The fifty million dollar question was if he's doing this on purpose or he just doesn't care about the collateral damage his experiment could cause.

"You wanted to see us, Captain?" Detective Joe West knocked on the Captain's office.

David averted his eyes from the newspaper and waved at Joe and August to enter. "Did you know about this Joe?" he turned the newspaper around and pointed at the front title.

August neared his Captains desk and proceeded to read the piece. Joe, on the other hand, sighed heavily and his shoulders fell. He finally nodded. "She had an inside informative that fed her the information." He lied.

"And she couldn't bring it over or at least make an anonymous call?"

"That's not Iris' style."

David sighed. "I know."

"Is this real?" August asked Joe a little spooked.

"You mean the part where Elias is going to blow a hole in Central City? If he can get the right power source, yes."

Singh nodded taking in Joe's words. "And what is that power source? I see Iris mentioning it, but she didn't explain what it was."

Joe sighed once again since the conversation started and debated whether or not to tell his boss the truth.

"The expression on your face tells me that you know. So go on." Singh urged him.

Joe bit the inside of his cheek. "The Flash's speed. That's the key."

"Can he even do that?" August asked bewildered.

"If he traps him, it's possible." Joe replied affirmatively.

"Hence the article." Captain Singh concluded. "She's trying to warn him. How is Barry ok with this? Iris sometimes seems too fascinated with the Flash. Any other man would be intimidated."

Joe West chocked hearing the Captains words. "Barry has made his peace with it." He said hiding the fact that Barry and the Flash were the same person, so Barry had nothing to fear. "You have to admit that it's very normal for it to happen. A superhero wearing a bright, tight suit is most girls' fantasy."

"Boys' too." August added.

Joe tried not to choke once again. Could the conversation move on to something else than either of his kids' sexual fantasies?

"Whatever the case is, we can't allow Elias' project to move further." Singh said clearing his throat. "The city can't afford to lose the Flash's protection. And it certainly doesn't need another hole either."

"What do you want us to do Captain?" Joe asked

"Go over at his lab and search it. Bring him in if you find anything."

"We are going to need a warrant to do that."

"I have it right here." Singh handed him the piece of paper. "Now go."

David watched as Joe and August got up and left. "Metahumans, regular criminals and now scientist too?" he mumbled and then sighed.

#

The winter moonlight shined on the back of Oliver's blond hair as he stood in front of Samantha's door ready to knock. However, before he had a chance to do that the door opened itself and William popped his head out grinning at Oliver. The archer felt his heart melt, a feeling he got every time he was in his son's company.

"Hi, Oliver." William greeted him, letting Oliver come inside.

Oliver followed him inside. "Hello, buddy. How was tutoring with Barry today?"

"It was cool." The boy said simply. "We talked about some things." He added after thinking for a moment.

Oliver raised his eyebrow curiously. "Really, about what?"

"Your pinky swear."

Oliver frowned confused. "Our what?"

William just giggled and shook his head. "Just Barry stuff."

"Who is it, William?" Samantha's voice echoed through the house. "Oh, hello Oliver." She waved at him and Oliver returned the gesture. "Have you packed your stuff?" she asked her son.

"I'm ready." He replied affirmatively.

Samantha smiled. "Why don't you go bring them?"

William was gone before his mother could finish her sentence. Both she and Oliver laughed at the boy's eagerness.

"He's so excited to stay with you for the weekend.

Oliver smiled and his eyes shined. "The feeling is mutual." He said softly. "Sorry I was late by the way. I had some stuff to deal with."

"Superhero stuff?" William appeared carrying his bag. Oliver opened his mouth but nothing came out. He finally nodded. "Cool!" William exclaimed.

"Ok, so are you ready to go?" Oliver clapped his hands.

William nodded his head. Samantha kissed her son's cheek and handed him his jacket. He reached to get it but froze as soon as his fingers touched the material.

"Actually..." he started saying unsure. "Can I talk to you guys? I have something that I need to tell you."

Samantha and Oliver exchanged worried looks. Oliver frowned confused but curious at the same time. He, however, skilled his features back to a friendly face.

"Sure honey. You can tell us anything." Samantha told him sweetly.

Then she turned to Oliver who nodded calmly. "Of course buddy."

They sat down together like a normal family. William played awkwardly with his fingers, feeling the weight of his parents gaze on him. "Ok, so you both know that I have been going through some hard times lately." Both adults nodded at this. "And I have been keeping it from you. But today I talked with Barry and he told me that I should tell you about it. He explained it to me and I realized that he was right. So here goes..." he inhaled sharply. "Two men have kidnapped me to get to the Green Arrow." he said licking his lips. "I'm afraid that the next time they will kill you. Or kill mom." He confessed as a traitor tear run down his cheek.

"William that is not going to happen." Oliver tried to comfort him with a soft voice.

It had the opposite effect of what he was hoping, though as William clenched his fists and yelled. "I'm your weakness!"

Oliver felt a lump in his throat. With fast reflexes, he reached out and grabbed William's hands and looked him straight in the eyes. "Don't ever think that again, you hear me? You are not a weakness. That's not true."

Samantha wiped the tears from her son's face. "He is right, honey." She told him sweetly.

William sobbed. Oliver got to his knees and hugged him. Then he let go and set his big hands on either side of William's face. "I want you to listen to me." He said. "It's not your fault that bad people exist. But the ugly truth is that they are everywhere, whether it's a spoiled kid or a grown up that thinks can get away with anything or a straight-up villain. You can't hide from them no matter where you live or who you live with, ok? You just have to be brave and face them. And it's easier to do that when you have people by your side."

"Stronger in numbers." William whispered, realization shining in his eyes. "Just like Barry's example."

Oliver frowned and glanced confused at Samantha. _What is he talking about?,_ he tried to project to her. "What example?"

"One wooden stick is easier to break than ten together." He said as a matter of fact.

"Right." Oliver mumbled to himself. _Trust Barry to turn William into a geek._ "Well, you don't have to be afraid for me or your mom. I have a whole league of superheroes covering my back. Are you ok now?" the kid nodded. "Alright, then let's go. Felicity is very excited to meet you."

William grinned and put on his jacket. Samantha kissed his cheek and wished them a good weekend.

#

Barry jumped through the breach, his feet landing on the floor of Earth-2 STAR labs. He didn't have time to do anything before footsteps greeted him and Barry turned his head to be met with the war-ready face of Harry aiming a gun at him.

"Allen?" Harry grunted when he realized that the visitor from another Earth was a dear friend of his.

Harrison Wells lowered his gun and watched as Barry smiled sheepishly. "Harry." Barry gave him a nod. "Sorry for startling you."

"It's fine." Harry just waved it away. "What are you doing here?"

"I need your help."

They walked together side by side, as Barry explained to him the reason for his arrival. Entering the cortex, the speedster realized that it had drastically changed from the last time he had been on Earth-2. Now it appeared more like the setting they had on his Earth. Barry wondered why that was. The setting looked like an operation and that was strange considering Harry almost had a nervous breakdown not wanting his daughter involved in heroics. Of course, Jessie had told Wally that she was the Flash of Earth-2 now, but Barry figured that it was a once in a while thing and behind her father's back.

"You can come out now." Harry yelled at the air.

Barry frowned wondering who he was talking to. His confusion was satisfied seeing his doppelganger pop his head from underneath one of the desks.

"Oh, Geez, I was so scared when that silent breach alarm went off." He rumbled in the same strange fashion Barry remembered. Earth-2 Barry's eyes landed on the speedster and immediately a frown appeared on his face. "Oh, it's you again."

It was clear from the way he said it that his counterpart was not happy to see him.

Barry decided to let it slide. "Did you really hide under a desk?" he asked instead amused.

Barry-2 straightened his torso in a weird way and pushed his round glasses up. "We were not all hit by lightning."

Barry tried not to laugh. He didn't want his other self to feel any worse than he already appeared to be. His doppelganger clenched his fists and made a weird expression with his face before turning to Harry.

"I'm sorry Dr. Wells, but what is he doing here?"

"You don't like me very much, do you?"

He just gave him a false smile. "Last time you were here me and my wife almost got killed by Killer Frost and Zoom and then had to flee our home."

"But I was also the one who defeated Zoom and stopped his terror on your Earth." Barry reasoned.

Other Barry huffed annoyed and then glared at himself in the most non-terrifying way. "You made out with my wife." He accused him.

Barry raised his hands in surrender, his green eyes widening. "Hey, she completely took me by surprise, man. And for the record, I was pretending to be you." He defended himself.

"But that doesn't give you the right to..."

"Wow, why am I seeing double?" a familiar voice interrupted.

Barry was surprised to see Winn at STAR labs, or more correctly his Earth-2 counterpart.

"Both of you stop arguing." Harry demanded. "You are giving me a headache. Mr. Schott this is Barry Allen from Earth-1, the Flash."

Winn's face filled with excitement. He almost ran to the speedster wanting to shake his hand. "You are the one that trained Jessie." He gasped and his eyes roamed the Flash's body from top to bottom that made Barry feel slightly uncomfortable. "I'm Winn, tech support." He offered his hand.

Barry shook it eagerly, before turning back to Harry. "You made Jessie a team? I thought you were completely against her doing anything that could put her in danger."

Harry sighed releasing a strong vibe of frustration. "I don't, but she wasn't going to stop –which I blame it on you entirely." He glared at him, only half meaning to. "So I thought that having a team would help her be safer out there."

"I'm impressed." The speedster admitted looking around. "So who is on team Jessie Quick?"

"Me obviously, Winn, Mr. Allen and his wife occasionally and Dr. Christina McGee."

"Cool." Barry nodded his head. "So about that help that I need..."

"We can get started as soon as Jessie returns from fighting the meta she is after." Harry assured him.

"You better not be staying long. And don't try to get frisky with my wife again."

Barry rolled his eyes at his doppelganger. He seriously wanted to hit him in the head.


	32. The Witch

Chapter 32

It was out of his comfort zone that Oliver guided William to STAR labs, in order to exit Central City and reach Star, only because he hadn't brought his motorcycle with. Not that he believed that Samantha would be ok with her son riding on his back even with the knowledge of who he is. The young boy had given him a confused look, but it was quickly replaced with understatement. Oliver didn't hide the fact that he is very proud of how smart his son is. He must have taken after his mother in that department. Not that Oliver was stupid per say, he really would have been great if he bothered to study more than chasing after girls. William's eyes were full with wonder as he followed Oliver through the halls of the laboratory. They took the elevator and waited in silence until the doors opened and another of what seemed an endless hallway greeted them. William was almost too afraid to ask about the place, not that Oliver wouldn't tell him, but because this was clearly the League's base and William didn't think it was wise to know too much in case another sociopath decided to kidnap him and extract information out of him. But in all honesty, the young boy was almost vibrating from excitement. Their footsteps echoed in the empty, hollow hallway until William could see a distant light approaching. Oliver was walking on autopilot, his legs leading the way out of pure body memory.

Apart from the bright light that shined the entire nexus of rooms, the cortex was pretty much empty, except from Caitlin who was still working late as per usual in her working space. The brunette woman perked up to the sound of Oliver and William entering. Her eyes fell on the archer's familiar, big figure and then traveled to the other, smaller one –that one she was unfamiliar with.

"Hi, Oliver." She greeted, her voice becoming a little lighter pitched feeling uneasy and gave Oliver a confused look.

"Hello, Cait." Oliver greeted back. "This is William."

The boy watched as the woman's –Cait's- eyes widened and an expression of realization appeared on her pale, white face. It became quite clear to William that Oliver had talked to her about him.

"Oh, right." She said more to herself and then smiled brightly and awkwardly hurried towards the boy. "Hello, William, I've heard a lot about you. I am Dr. Snow, but you can call me Caitlin."

William shook her hand politely and said a firm "Hello" back.

"I'm looking for Cisco." Oliver explained to Caitlin afterward. "I need him to set the right settings to the portal."

Caitlin curved her head slightly to the right and her hands came together at the height of her stomach. "I think he's at his workshop. He has been working himself very hard to find a solution to the Kr- crystal." She held herself from saying Kryptonian.

Oliver gave her an abrupt nod and nodded for William to follow him. William decided that this place was a maze. If he lost Oliver right now, he was certain that he couldn't find his way back. The man they were looking for turned out to be exactly where Caitlin had said. Cisco was buried underneath a mountain of papers filled with theories and spare equipment parts that had nothing to do with each other. Oliver could hear Cisco snoring lightly, the engineer must have finally given in to his body's needs and was fast asleep. With heavy heart, Oliver shook his shoulder attempting to wake him up as less upsettingly as possible.

Despite his best efforts Cisco jumped alarmed to his feet and yelled: "YOU SHALL NOT PASS." Raising his hands in what in Oliver's opinion was a poor defense.

William took a few steps back, startled by the man's sudden reaction and quickly hid behind Oliver. Cisco snapped out of his dream state as his vision focused on the well-built archer. Vibe pushed his long hair behind his ears and eyed Oliver confused, while still sporting a sleepy look on his face.

"Oliver?" he breathed with a heavy voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going back to Star city with William and I need your help operating the portal." Oliver explained. Shyly, William poked his head from behind Oliver so Cisco could see him.

Cisco noticed him and waved a tired hand at the boy. "Oh, hey there."

"You need to get some proper sleep, Cisco. You can't overwork yourself to death." He told him concerned.

Cisco didn't try to complain, but it was clear on his face that he wanted to disagree with Oliver. He was just afraid that Oliver would shot him with arrows if he tried –which let's be honest, was absolutely possible.

"You really need to learn how to operate this thing." He told the archer instead. "If you ask for my help every time, it's not any different from me breaching you everywhere."

"Felicity was going to do it one of these days, but she has been busy." He explained following Cisco who mumbled something about _excuses, excuses_ on his way to the breach room.

William was taken to yet another part of STAR labs. This one was colder and not as used as the two previous rooms, but it was still equipped with state of the art technology, the type that William had only imagined existed in science fiction movies. There was a platform inside the room and next to it a strange looking artifact, that William guessed it was the portal Oliver was talking about. His suspicion was proven affirmative once Cisco approached the thing and pressed some kind of buttons on it, then he turned tiredly at Oliver and gestured him to go on.

"All set. This leads straight to the Arrow Bunker."

Oliver nodded his head. "Thank you, Cisco." He said gratefully. "Go get some proper sleep before you fall apart." He advised, then turning to young William. "Come on, this will take us home."

William eyed half skeptical and afraid half excited the activated alien portal. He swallowed and took Oliver's offered hand and followed him stepping through.

The sensation of teleporting was uneasy and it left an uncomfortable feeling resting inside of their stomachs. It was a feeling that Oliver had yet to get used to. The Green Arrow's headquarters weren't like what William had imagined. It looked like a secret government facility, which now that he thought about it made more sense than the gym's locker room that he had initially imagined. William didn't have the time for a tour as Oliver practically dragged him out and drove him to his place.

When father and son entered the apartment Felicity was just setting her oversized purse on the couch. She got startled when she heard the door open again. She could have sworn that she had closed it after she entered. She turned around only to be met with Oliver's sexy figure. A big, bright smiled appeared immediately on her face. Felicity had no other choice but to feel her world make sense when he was around.

"Hey, Felicity, did you just come in?"

Felicity blew out a breath, groaning dramatically in the process. "Oh. My. God. You _cannot_ believe how long the legal process to create your own company is. I mean Ray and I have been signing papers all day. Can you _believe_ that?" she threw her hands up in frustration. "But thank God for Lucy Lane and Kara for bringing her on board. This woman, I tell you, she is Godsend, an angel, a holy-" she suddenly stopped her rumbling, her eyes having caught something behind Oliver. "Oh! Right, we have company." She chuckled nervously and smoothed the skirt of her dress, before walking and offering an awkward hand to William. "You must be William. I'm Felicity. Sorry about...you know... _THAT!_ Super awkward. I didn't plan on introducing myself this way. This was a total coincidence and a huge disaster. And I completely forgot you were coming tonight." She started rumbling again.

William shared a look with Oliver, who just gave his son a faint smile and shook his head in response. Felicity's blue eyes suddenly widened and a horrifying expression clouded her. She covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, as a silent piercing sound came out of it.

"I completely forgot the food." She confessed, looking like a puppy who knew it made a mess and was about to be yelled at. "William, how do you feel about frozen pizza?"

"How about we order something?" Oliver suggested.

"I love frozen pizza." William injected.

Oliver swallowed the urge to sigh. "Alright, frozen pizza it is." He agreed, causing William to throw his fist in the air. "So how did it go with the company? Is everything arranged?"

Felicity raised her head from the oven after she had thrown the food inside and looked over at the two males sitting on the table. She joined them and then waved her hand effortlessly.

"Yes, everything is settled, but only because of Lucy. We signed all the necessary papers, we rented an office and even decided who is going to work in which department. But that is boring staff that William doesn't care about." She chuckled and fixed her eyes on the boy. "Let's talk about you. I want to know everything. How else are we supposed to become best friends?" she smiled at him.

#

"So how do you want to do this? Good cop, bad cop? I call dibs for bad cop."

Detective Heart had a smug smirk on his lips as he stared at Dr. Elias sitting in the interrogation room through the one-way mirror window. Joe gave him a side glance and frowned with his partner's suggestion.

"Let's not go with that just yet."

Joe tried not to chuckle at August's failed attempt to not sulk. He had to admit, though, that August had a point. Elias was a scientist with a very strong and twisted determination for revenge. Joe wasn't sure how he would get him to confess. But then again, the task might not prove to be so difficult. Joe pushed his hands inside his pockets and turned his body to face him.

"Alright, I'm going in. You stay here and observe."

August sighed clearly disappointed but nodded anyway. That was when the door opened and Captain David Singh stepped in. He gave both detectives an intense stare.

"How is it going with Elias? Has he said anything yet?" he asked.

"I was just going in for questioning." Joe replied.

The Captain nodded pleased. "Good! Let's start."

The detectives both nodded respectfully. After that, Joe left the room and entered the interrogation room with Dr. Elias. The scientist appeared calm in Joe's eyes. He walked closer and lay down the files of the scientist's calculations in front of him. Elias took a brief look at them and then stared stolidly at the detective.

"Is that supposed to mean anything, detective?" he asked with audacity. "Can you explain to me why I'm here like a common criminal? Under what grounds are you holding me?"

Joe gave him an unimpressed look. "Under the ground of possible terrorism." He replied stoically.

The surprised look on Elias' face did not faze Joe. "Terrorism? I'm a scientist dedicated to helping humanity, not hurt it." He chuckled.

Joe stared at him blankly and unimpressed. Elias talked a good game, but he wasn't much for the theatrics as he wanted to believe. Joe had come across a fair deal of conmen, so it was very hard to fool him. He could recognize the look behind Elias' façade. Elias was a man on a mission. He truly believed that he was right and most dangerously that he had the right to do whatever he was planning on doing. He landed in the same category with religious fanatics who did horrible things in the name of whoever God they believed in. And although religion isn't a bad thing, it's very dangerous when people twist it around to justify their own horrifying agendas. Elias was one of them and his religion was science –perhaps- or revenge or fame or...you get the point. Everyone has something or someone they would do anything for. Joe narrowed his eyes on the scientist. Elias had the same look he had seen in others who knew that they would get away. And this could be the case here. Joe and detective Heart had searched the scientist's lab and found the hidden plans his daughter and Lois Lane had found that could tie Elias to his true plans. However, nothing on these papers suggested that Elias wanted to hurt Barry specifically and with the Flash's identity secret, it'd be difficult to build a case on that ground without Barry revealing his identity and testifying. And that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Fortunately for them, Joe had more evidence to tie Elias to other crimes that would put him in jail. With the help of Cisco Ramon and the higher hacking abilities of Felicity Smoak, they had everything they needed to prove that Elias was behind the attack of the Central City power station that caused damage to the city and risked the lives of hundred civilians, as well as the assault of former mercenary Slade Wilson.

"Do you recognize this, Dr, Elias?" Joe asked sliding the Speedforce calculations in front of the scientist. "It's your handwriting, we have confirmed it with some of your other work."

Elias took a look at the documents remaining calm as he did. "Yes, I have been working on a way to provide power to the city with minimum cost and pollution." He admitted deciding it was futile to lie. "I don't suppose you want to arrest me because I'm trying to improve the world detective." He chuckled.

"And you are going to need a Speedster to accomplice that, am I right?" Joe continued.

Elias smiled. "Correct. I have been studying Speedsters, they are extraordinary creatures and I have come to the conclusion that the source of their power is the key to saving the world, not only stop some armed robbers but actually save the Earth."

"I'm not a scientist, but I am acquainted with some very brilliant people like yourself and they have assured me of how much Speedforce energy you are going to need for your machine to accomplice what you are promising. So from what I understand, you either plan on capturing a speedster and have him run on your work like a lab mouse, or you're planning on draining him from all his speed. Is that why you asked my daughter to arrange a meeting with the Flash? I have to remind you that although the Flash is a masked figure, he is still a person, a citizen of Central City, who pays his bills, has a regular job and furthermore rights –not to mention that he has saved this city more times than all the cops on the force combined. Just because he has gifts that go beyond a regular human, he doesn't deserve to become a lab rat."

Elias could see where detective West was going with this and the odds weren't in his favor. Regardless, he composed himself, not wanting to give anything away. "No, detective, I don't plan on holding anyone against his will. However, if the Flash is the hero he claims to be, then giving up his speed is a sacrifice he must be willing to make for the greater good. Isn't that what heroes do? It's not like he is the only one defending the world from criminals."

Captain Singh tightened his jaw hearing the smug tone of Elias. "He is good, playing with a hero's pride." He grunted.

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that your wife died on the night Zoom's followers tried to take over the city two years ago? You don't hold the Flash accountable for not being able to save her, or stop Zoom before that." Joe continued.

It was the first time Elias showed any emotion. The three men clearly saw the devastation in Elias' face as he was reminded of his wife's death. "My wife's death was an unfortunate incident and not the only one that night. As fast as he is, the Flash is only one man and even he can't save everyone –even with the help of your very capable department."

Now he was just sucking up.

"Nothing of what you've said proves that I want to hurt him." Elias continued. "I think that I have proved my intentions with the help I provided during the power outage."

 _Bingo!_ "A power outage that you caused." Joe accused and then showed the next set of evidence. "Surveillance footage and phone records showing you meeting with Amunet Black otherwise known as Blacksmith. And Slade Wilson is willing to testify that you approached him to assassinate the League and when he refused you used magic to control him."

Elias burst out laughing. "Magic? I am a scientist, detective. I don't believe that magic is real." He snorted. "I can't believe that you do. I took you for a more rational person." Elias humored Joe with a smug expression on his face.

"You can pretend all you want, Dr. Elias. But the evidence don't lie. You are going to prison no matter what. What you can do, however, is lighten your sentence. If you cooperate and answer everything, the D.A. is willing to cut you a very sweet deal. So..." Joe crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What is it going to be?"

#

Jessie came back from her hunt in a speedster's equivalent of ten minutes –which was pretty fast. She came to STAR labs in a blurring tornado and went immediately towards the energy bars that Winn had left for her on top of his desk. As Jessie removed her mask, Barry could see the remnants of fatigue barely visible in her young face. A few droplets of sweat rolled from her forehead and her cheeks had acquired a more red color from the blush she was usually wearing. Jessie spotted Barry causing her eyes to bulge half with surprise and half with excitement.

"Barry!" she exclaimed happily and in an instant, she had sped her way across the room and was hugging the older speedster. "What are you doing here?"

Barry took a step back as the hug ended and the two red suits separated once again. "I need your father's help with something."He told her smiling. "Nice team you got here."

Jessie grinned. "Yep, they're the best. I'm lucky to have them. Anything I can help with?"

Barry shook his head still smiling. "Nah, just Harry will do just fine, you have an operation to run. If he gets stuck, though, I'll shout for you."

Jessie shrugged her shoulders. "Ok, fine. I'll be here if you need me."

"Great! Now that you're here, we can go. Allen, follow me." Harry's loud voice echoed in the big room.

Barry stayed for a few moments longer staring at Jessie with a soft and proud look on his face. Jessie felt a little intimidated by his green eyes glancing intensively at her. She blushed and lowered her face just a bit.

"I can see that you've grown into a great hero, Jessie. I am very proud of you." Barry told her sincerely.

The younger speedster blushed once again, but she grinned this time. "I learned from the best."

"Allen!"

Barry rolled his eyes at Harry's impatience. "Alright, I'm coming." Then he hugged Jessie once again. "It was good seeing you again."

"You too, Barry." Jessie punched him playfully in the arm.

"So that's the Flash." Winn spoke thoughtfully after Barry and Harry left the room.

"Yep, that's him." Jessie confirmed. "He's the one that inspired me to do this."

"He's not all that great." Earth-2 Barry snorted.

Jessie glanced over at him. "You just say that because you don't like him. But I watched him win under impossible odds. I watched him getting right back after every lost battle but never backing down. And I watched all the people in his team backing him up, believing in him. Meta after meta they took down because they had hope that they could. Metas that terrified you by even looking at them. And then Barry defeated Zoom –the worst monster either of us has ever known." Jessie continued facing both of them as she unfolded her story. "So yes, he is all that great –even if he will never admit it himself." She chuckled softly. "And of course there are other worthy superheroes out there beside him, some more powerful, but inspiring in the same way. But for me, there are two people who shaped me into who I am today. The first one is my dad, who made me the person I am and the other one is Barry, who showed me what a real hero is."

#

"Alright, Allen. In order to solve this, we have to get back to the root of every problem." Harry took a sponge and cleared the board in his office.

"Do you already have an idea of how to get my cells stronger?" Barry frowned surprised.

Harry glanced over at him, an eyebrow raising in the process. "It's funny that you phrased that this way." He said. "Your cells...are very unique due to your super speed. So yes, I think it's possible to accomplice what you want." And then he started drawing. "Cells consist of molecules, that consist of atoms and the atoms are composed by nucleus and electrons."

"Yes, I know all that."

"Like I said, Allen. Back to the root of everything. All matter consists of atoms, that means electrons and nucleus as well. Now, the stronger the atoms are bonded the stronger the material is."

"I know that too." Barry sighed a little frustrated. Until now Harry hadn't said anything different from what he had told William yesterday.

Harry simply glared at him. It was something that Barry had grown accustomed since Harry had walked to their Earth and became part of their team. It was a gesture that he missed occasionally, but not always.

"Do you know what makes atoms bond stronger?" he asked harshly.

Barry blinked from the man's attack. His mind went quickly to overdrive to answer Harry, not because he didn't know the answer (please he had a master in chemistry), but because the tone Harry had used was one that usually made his brain freeze when his teachers in school did it to him.

"Basically by how fast the electrons are moving." He mumbled.

Harry threw a victory punch in the air. "Yes!" he exclaimed. "That's it, speed. Everything in the universe depends on how fast everything is moving. Speed is the key to everything. And speed is something you have in immeasurable amounts."

Barry felt like he was in one of these movies when light shined on you when you found the solution to something. His cheeks hurt from how brightly he smiled. "So, all I need to figure out is how fast I have to move my cells."

"And that's why I always thought that a speedster's greatest ability was to vibrate." Harry pointed his marker at him. "Vibrating to not only pass through solid objects but to also gain mass and ideally to speed the electrons and become tougher."

The question that remained was: "So how fast do I have to vibrate?"

Harry pushed his glasses and looked at him. "We'll figure that out with some calculations and a lot of practice."

#

It was two days later that the team met again. It was training day. They would split into two teams, those with powers and those without at first. Sara was responsible for training those without powers and Cisco those with. And after that –if both teams could still stay on their feet- they would mingle and make two new teams that would fight each other. But again, if that proved to be too much for them well...there is always tomorrow. As for Barry, he was still over on Earth-2 so he wouldn't be participating. However, he had sent a message this morning informing them that he had made progress and hopefully he would be back soon. Cisco and the others had wished him _"Godspeed!"_ as a reply, all of them wanting their missing link back –Kara most of all. She wasn't sure how much longer she could handle being the only team leader. When she had confessed her insecurity to her sister, Alex had stared at her with the very familiar Alex look, which made you feel uncomfortable for saying something stupid and so Kara hadn't brought it up again. It didn't help that Mon-El had taken Alex's side too. Apparently, Kara couldn't catch a break.

Today the team had joined Mon-El, Alex and even James Olsen deciding to reveal to the others that he was the Guardian. Unfortunately, J'onn couldn't come as well because he was needed at the D.E.O. From Star City had also come Dinah and Rene. Felicity had taken her post as Overwatch and monitored the cities in case they needed to suit up and breach away to stop a criminal. But before they could start training the League had some stuff to discuss, along with some exciting news that Cisco couldn't wait to share.

"What has Joe learn from interrogating Elias?" Oliver asked despite the fact that Kara was in charge of leading the conversation –not that she minded particularly.

Cisco cleared his throat. "With the extra evidence that Felicity uncovered, Dr. Evil realized that he was fighting a lost battle so he confessed and gave away Blacksmith's hideout in order to lessen his sentence. He also said that there was another lunatic out there trying to turn everyone into a superhero by brainwashing them –as if we don't have enough in our plate already."

"Barry found two victims that died from information overload the same day we cured Slade Wilson. Their brains were fried like nothing I've ever seen. It could be him." Caitlin added chewing her lip with concern.

"That's just great." Kara groaned frustrated. "That's the last thing we need right now. Another bad guy, when we should be focusing on finding these Worldkillers. Future Barry warned us to specifically stop them before they become unstoppable. We have completely sidetracked. We are so behind as it is without the distraction of other villains."

"But, you see, ha!" Cisco raised a hand to stop her. He was grinning like someone had told him that he won a free trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. "That is not true because I finally – _finally_ \- had a breakthrough." He grinned and provided the team with a strange looking device that looked like it belonged in a modern art exhibition. "I give you the Kryptonian Processor. The name is still a work in progress, but it will allow Felicity and Winn to harness the information inside the crystal we got from the Fortress of Solitude and hopefully, they'll be able to hack inside its mainframe." He finished proudly.

Cisco looked around him, the others were speechless, simply staring him agape and stunned. It was Professor Stein that snapped out from amazement first.

"Cisco that is amazing. Kudos, my friend."

A series of congratulations broke out after that. Cisco couldn't which congratulations came from whom, as everyone spoke at the same time. Alex pat him on the back and even Mon-El high fived him.

"That is indeed amazing, Cisco. Winn and Felicity can start working right away. There's no time to waste." Kara smiled a feeling of serenity spreading inside her.

"I can text Winn right now to meet me at the building we rented for Smoak Technologies." Felicity offered eagerly.

Kara nodded. "Do that." She said and then turned her attention back to the rest of the team, as Felicity walked out of the cortex.

"So we know were Blacksmith and her minions are. We can go get them right now." Sara spoke, ready to punch everyone that came in her way.

"I don't think it's going to be so easy." Alex shook her head disagreeing. "Blacksmith could know that Elias told everything to the police. She probably left to regroup and prepare for us to attack."

"I agree with Alex." Oliver added. "Going after her now won't offer any positive outcome."

"So what are we supposed to do? The more we wait the more time she has to prepare." Jax said.

"She is waiting for us right now." Alex said again.

"Then what are we doing?"

Oliver fixed his blue eyes on the one half of Firestorm. "Tonight we train like we were supposed to do, then we come up with a plan and then we go after her."

Kara nodded going through all of this inside her head. Man, she really wished that Barry hurried up and returned. "Alright, then that's what we're going to do. Everyone you know where to go." she gave the final order.

"And where am I supposed to go?"

At the unexpected sound of the stranger's voice, the League acted instinctively as one. Jax and Professor Stein bonded immediately forming Firestorm, Sara took fighting stance holding two knives out, Alex aimed her gun and Oliver somehow brought a bow out of nowhere. Caitlin hid behind Sara, Cisco raised his hands ready to blast the newcomer with his vibrations –same as Dinah- and Kara, Wally and Mon-El readied themselves to a fast attack.

The newcomer was a woman. She was young at age, with straight back haircut with bangs. She was wearing a white shirt, black blazer and a mini skirt that made half the women in STAR labs blush from how short it was. Nonetheless, unless this woman was a meta, she appeared to be harmless.

"Who are you?" Oliver growled using his familiar _You-have-failed-this-city,_ Green Arrow voice.

The stranger raised her hands in surrender. "I'm Zatanna. John Constantine sent me. Said there was a Super team forming to protect the world and that they needed someone with magic. I casted a spell to bring me to them and I think it worked. Although, seeing this response I doubt you need me." She chuckled awkwardly.

Oliver's frown deepened after she finished speaking. "You don't mind if I call Constantine to verify this." He stated more than asked.

Zatanna nodded furiously not wanting to have her head taken off. "Go ahead." She urged.

Oliver lowered his bow and fished out his cell phone, while everyone else stayed in position. John Constantine answered the call before the first ring could end.

"Hello, Oliver. She is a doll, isn't she?" his familiar accent echoed in the archer's ear.

"How did you know?" Oliver demanded.

He was met with Constantine's chuckle. "Don't try to understand things you can't, mate. Zatanna is cool. Have fun saving the world."

And with that Constantine disconnected the call before Oliver could reply. Oliver lowered his phone. "Constantine says she's ok." He informed the rest.

With that information, everybody relaxed and hid their weapons and Firestorm separated.

"Thank you." Zatanna said relieved.

"So you are a...Witch?" Kara asked.

Zatanna's face formed a proud expression. "Yes, I am the daughter of the great John Zatara."

"I'm sorry, but we have no idea who that is." Alex fixed her with a look.

Zatanna waved it away easily. "You wouldn't if you don't walk in the circle of magic."

"Why do you want to join us?" Sara fired the next question.

Zatanna shrugged. "Until now I've been using my powers to perform meaningless, silly tricks for crowds that don't even believe in magic. I want to do more with my gifts, offer something to the world. This seems like the right move."

Sara looked around at the rest of the group. "What do you guys think?"

"I say we give her a chance." Kara replied.

"I second that." Cisco agreed quickly.

"We do have a powerful Wizard to face." Caitlin added.

The rest nodded agreeing. "Alright then, you can tell us how your magic works and then we are going to train." Kara decided.


	33. Divided

Chapter 33

Zatanna stood awkwardly in the middle of the training room. The League had gathered there as soon as the introductions were made. The witch had been a little intimidated by some of them purely because they possessed incredible gifts. Word had gotten around that a team of powerful individuals had gotten together to protect the world, so that was a factor too. Zatanna tried her best not to act like a silly fangirl just by being in their presence. Individuals that had their eyes glued on her at the moment.

"I don't know about the rest of you guys but I'm dying to see her demonstrate her powers." Cisco said with childish excitement.

The only reason Zatanna remembered his name was because he talked too much. Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same for all of them. Oliver was someone whose name just stuck with you and Kara from how much she idolized Supergirl. Having a female superhero out there to show that women can be just as badass as men and look flawless while doing it made Zatanna a more proud woman.

The witch twisted her lips into a smirk and said. "Prepare to be amazed."

"I've dealt with magic users before." He told her unimpressed.

Zatanna narrowed her eyes on him. "Pils." She said and the exact next second Oliver slips and falls flat on his ass.

The laughter that followed came from Rene and Mon-El, while Cisco just chuckled and Caitlin tried to hide a smile. Oliver got back on his feet. If he was offended he didn't show it.

"Cute."

"What else can you do?" Kara asked.

Zatanna looked skeptical for a brief moment, then she turned to Cisco. "Ylf." She said backward.

Cisco was immediately levitated in the air. The engineer let out a squeal of surprise and then laughed joyfully. "Man, this is awesome."

"So you basically say something backwards and it happens." Ray realized out loud.

Alex watched Zatanna nod her head in confirmation and then she set Cisco back on the ground. The long hair man sighed touching his legs that stood firmly on the floor now, but the childish grin didn't leave his lips.

"These are fine tricks, but have you ever done battle?" she asked the witch.

"I can do anything as long as I speak the words backward." She replied confidently.

And while her focus was still on Alex, without warning, Sara threw a star at her. Zatanna's eyes bulged surprised and spooked. "Nopaew nrut ot retaw." The weapon turned to water splashing Zatanna in the face. "What the hell was that? Are you trying to kill me?" she yelled at the blonde.

"I'm proving a point." Sara replied calmly. "When you are in battle you are fighting for your life. The enemy won't hesitate to kill you and you have no experience. They will play dirty, stab you in the back. The tricks you performed won't be enough. I'm making sure you understand what you are signing up for."

Before Zatanna could speak Oliver sneaks up on her and covers her mouth. "And if you can't speak? You can't use magic?"

The girl tried to speak but Oliver just kept applying pressure on the mouth disabling her voice. She tried to get out of his grip, but Oliver was stronger than her. Finally, she sighed and relaxed giving up fighting. Oliver retrieved his hand and stared at her.

"Maybe this was a bad idea after all." She sighed feeling sad.

"Don't say that." Kara tried to comfort her.

"She is right." Sara nodded in agreement. "You have potential and your gifts are very useful. You just need to forget how you used them in the past and adopt a new way."

Zatanna's blue eyes looked over at the blond. "But how could I fight, when Oliver just disabled me so easily?"

"We train you." All eyes turned to Cisco, who had a silly, wide grin on his face.

Zatanna found a new wave of confidence looking at him. She straightened her shoulders and smiled slightly. "Alright."

Kara walked in the center next to Zatanna and looked at all her friends. "Those without powers go to the training room, decide on a partner and train. Those with powers go to the next training room and do the same. Sara and Cisco you are in charge of helping Zatanna. Let's do it."

All heads nodded and then people started moving to their positions.

#

Barry Allen was at the badlands just outside Central City. He had been training since nine in the morning and the sweat inside his suit was so extreme that Cisco would have a heart attack if he saw it. Harry and he had decided a few days ago that the badlands was the best place to train where Barry's full strength wouldn't be a problem for his surroundings. Harry hadn't come with him, however, but instead wired Barry with similar sensors used in Jessie's suit to monitor his vitals and energy output. Barry narrowed his eyes at the beaten, rusty car in front of him. He planted firmly his feet on the ground and steadied himself. The red tripolymer of his suit creaked as he clenched his fist. He took a deep, steady breath from the nose and calmly exhaled from the mouth. He worked on his breathing like some kind of mantra in order to ground himself. Then, he started vibrating his hand.

"That's it, Barry. Slow and steady. Take your time to find the right vibration pattern." Harry guided him from STAR labs.

Barry exhaled forcefully. "I can't do that if I hear you in my ear every ten seconds."

"Alright, Allen. I'll shut up. You know what to do."

Barry prepared himself again and then, when he knew he was ready he shot his fist forward and hit the car. The moment his hand connected with the iron object a deafening, piercing sound was created that nearly made Barry's ears bleed. A cloud of dusk rose to meet it, entering the speedster's lungs. Barry coughed loudly, his lungs and eyes burning from the dirty dust. He heard Harry ask with concern if he was alright from the earpiece. Barry raised his other arm and begun spinning it around driving the cloud away from him. When he could finally breathe again and the coughing stopped, Barry took off his gloved and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to make them stop burning. He opened them with hesitation. His vision was a little blurry at first, but as the fresh air hit them it became clearer.

It was then that he noticed that his hand –the one he had hit the car with- waited heavy by his side. He raised it carefully to his eyes and examined it. It was starting swelling a little bit, his knuckles were a little rough with a few small cuts. It hurt, it definitely hurt, but it wasn't broken. And that was a huge step forward. Barry vibrated his hand again feeling his molecules expanding and repairing the lost cells of his skin until his hand was brand new. When Barry stopped vibrating it, there was no sign of a scratch but instead, it had healed completely.

"ALLEN!" Harry shouted frustrated in the comm. "Will you answer me already?"

"I'm fine." Barry answered him flatly.

He held his hand with the other one and twisted his wrist. It didn't hurt anymore. Then Barry set attention at the other side, where the car had moved –or what was left of it- his green eyes narrowed in order to see better. Electricity flashed inside them so fast as the lighting trail behind him, as he raced closer to observe his progress. The old track used to look like it was put together with glue, but now it was broken to pieces. The metal was bend where Barry's fist had collided with it and the rest of it had taken a random, angry shape from its impact with the ground. The force of Barry's fist had taken the vehicle apart like it was a tower made of cards. A pleased expression formed on Barry's sweaty face. He pressed the emblem on his suit to give live feed to Harry back at STAR labs. The speedster knew that the scientist needed to see for himself what they had accomplished together. Harry was not a man to show any emotion, except if it was unreasonable rage, but the sharp inhale that came through the earpiece was melodic.

"That's fantastic, Barry." Harry's voice was filled with pride. "Not only have you accomplished taking apart a huge target without getting hurt, but you also did it without having to run hundreds of miles. I think congratulations are in order."

"Couldn't have done it without you." Barry replied. "How fast do you think I can go? I know that I'm faster ever since I came back from the Speedforce, but I don't know...I feel that I can get faster."

There was a sigh at the other side. "Only you can answer that question, Allen. Yes, you have gotten faster –a lot faster- and yes, I do think that you have the potential to go even further. But there's no limit to the power you have been given. Only you can set the boundaries of how fast you can get."

Barry nodded his head, even though he knew that Harry couldn't see him. "Alright, I'm done training for today. I'm going to go for a run and then I think I'm going to head back to my Earth. I've learned everything I needed, I can practice more there. And I can't be gone too long from my job...or jobs."

"Whatever you want, Allen. But say goodbye before you leave."

Barry nodded again. "I will." He assured him.

Then he turned the comms off, put the bright red cowl on and sped off with no destination in mind. He was wondering what was happening back on Earth-1. How did the team cope, had they made any progress while he was away? He missed them all. He missed Iris and Joe. He missed his friends and his team. He guessed that they had all grow so close these last months that he could call them all his family. Barry closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of running at super speed. The air on his face, the electricity coursing through his veins, the power he felt as his feet hit the ground. It was easy to get lost in this feeling. It was the most peaceful Barry had ever felt. And the memories of his friends flew in his mind's eye. Yes, he loved all of them. Oliver, who although he was dark and brooding, he was like an older brother to him. Kara, his cheerful little sister. Cisco and Caitlin weren't just his best friends, they were his soul mates. Sara was the sibling that would defend him from the bullies on the playground. Ray, a close cousin along with Jax, Dinah and Rene. Professor Stein felt like a third father and Alex, an adopted sister. Barry felt truly lucky at this moment while he realized how big of a family he had. Thawne might have taken his real parents away from him, dooming him to grow with no relatives, but Barry had created his own family.

"Hello, Barry."

At the familiar voice, Barry's eyes popped open filling with dread at the sight of his mother floating in front of him. _Speedforce,_ Barry didn't dare voice out loud. The Speedforce version of his mother was surrounded by blue, familiar light and was moving at Barry's speed.

"You've surpassed another speed limit, my beautiful boy." She said and to Barry's horror, the blue light started reaching out and surrounding him. "But you have a lot to learn yet to reach your full potential."

In a spark of audacity, Barry found himself talking back. "I know that. But you didn't exactly give me an instruction manual."

Nora looked what Barry hopped was sad. "We are helping you more than you realize." And then she was gone.

And so was Barry.

#

"This is Amunet Black or otherwise known as Blacksmith." Felicity explained as Amunet's picture popped up on every screen on the cortex.

After two hours of training, the team had taken a break and it was decided that the rest of the members –Zatanna included- should be informed of their current villain situation. Besides, she would be the one to tell them how to contain the wizard's magic. Zatanna had been doing well with Sara and Cisco managing to defend herself from their attacks. She had started to understand the nature of battle. Sure she wasn't half perfect about it, but she was getting there.

"She controls the metahuman black market selling stolen tech and people all the same." The IT girl continued. "We don't know how many people she has working for her but we do know that her left hand is this creepy dude." The face of a man showed up next on the screens.

"Yea, he looks like a scumbag." Rene snorted.

"His name is Norvok but I prefer to call him Snake Eye because for a left eye he has a snake looking tail."

"That's disgusting." Dinah made a vomit sound that was followed by many affirmative mumbles.

"And this is her newest associate, the magic user. From what I could dig up his name is William Zard, but everything else about him is gone. The guy is a ghost."

"So that's where I come in." Zatanna said looking at the face of her opponent.

Kara nodded. "Yes, we need to find a way to contain him without killing him. And we know that regular cuffs of metahuman dampeners won't work on him."

Zatanna turned to face the Kryptonian and winked playfully at her. "Regular cuffs will work. I just have to cast a spell on them."

"Do it." Oliver ordered out of habit. "Cisco."

The engineer acted almost on instinct. He put his hand on Zatanna's shoulder and asked her to follow him. The rest of them kept going. Halfway through Caitlin got a call from Joe West. The doctor spoke with the man for a few seconds, she nodded and then hung up.

"That was Joe. He got a tip that Amunet is going to have a shipment arriving at the docks tonight." She told everyone.

"I'll go get Cisco and Zatanna." Wally said before speeding away.

"Everybody suit up." Oliver ordered as soon as Wally was out of the room.

Wally returned with the other two in a flash. Kara had already changed into her Supergirl uniform. "Cisco you are coming too. Barry is still on Earth-2 and we are probably going to need all hands to take Amunet's operation down. Caitlin, Felicity and Winn can manage handling things here." Cisco nodded quickly running to get on his Vibe suit. "Zatanna are you ready?"

The Witch stared at the alien conflicted, then she shook her head. "I don't think so, but it's now or never I guess."

Kara smiled at her. "You'll be fine." She tried to reassure her. "And we will all keep an eye on you. Don't worry, we have each other's backs."

There was no lighting at the docks. Only the flames Firestorm provided.

"I see them." Alex narrowed her eyes on the criminals. "There are six of them."

"I don't see Amunet anywhere." Oliver grunted.

"You are interrupting our meeting." A voice came from next to them.

The Wizard, William Zard, was right beside them, watching them with laughter and evil eyes. Supergirl acted on instinct and reached out to grab the villain before he could do anything. If she could knock him out then perhaps Zatanna didn't have to fight. Unfortunately, despite her good intentions, it turned out to be a mistake. Because William wasn't really there and the moment Supergirl's hand touched him a bright light illuminated from his body. When the light died Supergirl was gone –and so were those closest to her, which happened to be Vibe, Green Arrow and Atom. Those who remained stared wide-eyed at the spot where their teammates used to stand.

"We've been expecting you." Norvok said to the remaining League.

With him were Golden Glider, Murmur, Plunder, Shade and of course the Wizard.

"So this was a trap." Alex said loudly.

Lisa Snart laughed. "Of course it was a trap. As if Amunet would let it slip where her shipment is going to happen."

"It doesn't matter, you are still outnumbered. We'll stop you." This time it was Sara who spoke, taking immediately Oliver's responsibility as the field general.

"You could do that, but then again Trickster is currently at Iron Heights ready to bust every criminal out of there." Norvok snorted. "You can either stop him or stop us. But you can't do both."

"We'll take our chances." Sara shot back at him. "Kid Flash, Mon-El and Guardian go stop the Trickster. The rest of you pick a partner. I know who I'm going up against." She ordered having her eyes glued to Murmur.

James climbed on Mon-El's back, who immediately raced off following Wally.

The White Canary started fighting Murmur who was a trained assassin, master in any form of combat. Alex took on Snake Eye, his freaky eye attacking her. She tried her best not to be grossed out but she was in battle mode now, nothing could distract her. She and Sara fought back to back, the assassin waving her staff, while Alex fought with her hands and feet.

Golden Glider aimed her gun on Black Canary, who used her powers to avoid getting turned into a golden statue. And Wild Dog joined in a gunfight with Plunder.

"Shade has the ability to move through shadows and turn into one." Caitlin informed them over the comms.

"Then we should light up the place." Jax replied.

Professor Stein agreed inside his head. Then the fire metahuman flew in the air and brightened his flames.

Alex grabbed with her left-hand Norva's snake and with the other one delivered a punch right to his normal eye. Norvok fell on the cement ground passed out. Alex bent on one knee and cuffed him. Behind her, Sara was still fighting Murmur both getting equal hits on the other. But then she saw the Wizard about to hurt Zatanna. The little witch was not holding on too well against him. It was no surprise, she had only started training this afternoon. Alex was immediately on her feet. She reached behind her and got a throwing knife from Sara's waist- where she knew the White Canary kept them- and threw it at him. The knife stabbed itself on Zard's left arm. The man yelled in pain. It was enough to destruct him for Zatanna to cast an immobilizing spell on him and then put the magical cuff on.

"Everyone get in a circle under me." Firestorm shouted.

Moving as one, the team did what he told them. Then a huge light came from Firestorm blinding their opponents but not the team. And they all saw their opening. Wild Dog shot Plunder with a tranquilizer. Black Canary screamed at Golden Glider, her sonic cream throwing her away and knocking her on a container, making Lisa lose her consciousness from the impact. Sara kicked Murmur on the throat and then again on his head. Shade passed out only from the brightness Firestorm had created. Once the bad guys were out Jax lowered himself on the ground and the rest cuffed the remaining criminals. That was when Felicity and Winn spoke to them over the comms, both of them freaking out.

#

Barry found himself once again inside the Speedforce. The electrical storm he was surrounded by called to his speed. Even though he was imprisoned inside the extra-dimensional energy, he never felt more like home. The lightning inside his body tingled in a pleasurable way, calling out and connecting with the rest of the lightning around.

The scenery didn't stay the same for long. Instead, the surroundings changed, morphing into the speed lab at STAR labs.

"Think fast, Flash." a Speedforce version of Captain Cold appeared across from him and fired his cold gun aiming straight at Barry's chest.

Barry barely managed to get out of the way. The spot he previously stood was now frozen. "So you are pretending to be Snart again."

"Fast reflexes, Flash. But can you think just as fast?" Snart's voice mocked him.

Barry removed the cowl from his head. There was no point wearing it, the Speedforce already knew who he was. "So, I'm due for another lesson. Isn't that why you brought me here?"

Captain Cold smirked. It was frightening how accurate the copy was from the real person.

"Sharp as a tack, Barry. But you still have a lot to learn."

Despite the compliment, Barry felt like the Speedforce was mocking him. "So why the special treatment now?" he pressured. "You never bothered teaching me how to use my powers before."

Speedforce Snart hesitated for a moment. It was so small that if Barry wasn't a speedster he would have missed it. "Sorry, not spoilers." He said with the familiar snarky voice.

Only this time Barry wasn't going to let that go. He wasn't stubborn for no reason. He fixed his stare on Leonard until the manifestation sighed and Barry could picture it rolling its eyes.

"There's a battle coming and you are going to have to save your friends. Unfortunately, you are too slow in learning your abilities. So we have to speed up the process."

Barry felt his heart stop beating and then restart going to fast even for him. "Wait, what is going to happen to my friends?" he demanded worried.

"Like I said, no spoilers. But if you lose this battle then you and your team is never going to stop the ultimate evil. And we didn't let you out of here for no reason." Snart explained and it became clear to Barry from his tone that he wasn't going to share anything more. "Now...time to learn your lesson." And without a warning, he started shooting at him with the cold gun. "Think, Barry, think."

Barry tried to avoid getting shot at. When he ran out of non-iced space to run and realized that Snart wouldn't stop shooting at him, he ran out of the room hoping that the next person the Speedforce would choose to manifest would be nicer and more helpful about what he needed to learn.

Only it wasn't.

Barry found himself in the Arrow bunker and he saw Oliver with his back turned on him. _Great,_ Barry thought sarcastically. Because Oliver was the most uncomplicated teacher in the world. Again sarcasm. Barry thought he would have better luck winning the lotto than guessing what Oliver was trying to teach him. Speedforce Oliver turned, fixing his blue eyes on him.

"You are losing your touch." Barry couldn't help but retort.

"Hello, Barry."

"Didn't we just have this talk? Why can't you just tell me what I need to know?" he sighed with frustration.

"This is not how it works, Barry." The other man answered.

Barry set his hands on his hips and lowered his head for a brief moment. "Great! That's just great. You know how to make everything so easy."

"Life isn't easy, Barry. Especially the path you chose." Speedforce Oliver told him nonchalantly, his stare blank like he was seeing right through him.

"Alright then, teach me. It's not like I haven't dueled Oliver before and won."

"Your friend Oliver is a master strategist. You have fast reflexes Barry but you need to anticipate his moves. Think!"

"You keep saying that, but what does that mean?" Barry raised slightly his voice starting to become impatient.

Oliver didn't reply to him, instead, he attacked. Barry dogged him and then pushed the man on the other side of the room. Oliver raised his head from where he laid on the floor. The next moment arrows flew towards him from multiple directions. Barry used his super speed to quickly locate all of them and get out of the way.

"Oliver has already used that trick on me." He informed the Speedforce.

The manifestation got back on its feet. "It's not about the trick, but anticipating what I'm going to do next. Think, Barry, think."

Then he attacked the speedster again with another series of strategies. After what felt like hours Barry was still dogging arrows and yet he still couldn't understand what the Speedforce was trying to tell him.

"You need to think, Barry."

"ENOUGH!" Barry yelled and stopped. He was tired. More importantly, he thought that this whole thing was pointless. "I'm not getting it, alright, I'm not." He set his hands on his hips again and breathed heavily. "Maybe I'm not a good student."

Tired and frustrated at both the Speedforce and himself, Barry turned the other way and walked out of the bunker. But really it was naïve to think that the Speedforce was done with him so easily.

"Barry I need your help."

"William?" Barry asked bemused. "Speedforce." He corrected himself quickly.

His surroundings had changed again, this time resembling the boy's bedroom, where they used to study.

"Please Barry, I really need you to explain me this chapter in science or else my teacher is going to fail me."

Barry tried to tell himself that this wasn't real. That William wasn't actually asking for his help, but that this was just another mind game the Speedforce was playing on him. But Williams pleading eyes made it hard for Barry to refuse the boy.

"Alright." He said sitting next to William. "What chapter did you cover?"

William was all too happy to show him his textbook. Oh, it was the nervous system, well the most basic part of it. Barry motioned for William to look at the pages and used his 'teacher' voice to explain the context to him pointing at the textbook.

"Every action that our body makes is controlled by our brain. For example, when you want to pick up your textbook or throw a ball your brain sends a message to the part of your body and tells it what to do. Then that part complies and the action happens. Do you understand that?"

William nodded. "I think so. But what about when I do something without thinking about it, like a reflex?"

"The same thing happens then too. It's just that the message travels from the brain so fast even when you don't realize that it's happening. It happens in an instant, no matter how fast the reflexes are, the mind is always faster because it's what sends the order for your body to do something."

"So our mind has super speed?" William asked in excitement.

Barry laughed. "No, William, it doesn't. It's just how it is. The thought is always faster."

 _Think!_

Barry's eyes widened. The lesson that the speedforce was trying to teach him became clear all of a sudden. The mind was always faster than the body. And the mind of a speedster was powerful on another level. If he could process a situation at super speed, then he could _almost_ predict the future.

#

Meanwhile, back at STAR labs the support team heard the news about Blacksmith being M.I.A. Caitlin, Winn and Felicity shared a look frowning in confusion mixed with worry. Their question was answered quickly when a few moments later a blipping sound alerted them and on the computer screen emerged the security window showing Blacksmith herself standing outside of STAR labs. Felicity's hands acted immediately activating the emergency protocol that locked down the facility. The computer genius had experience with invasion situations that happened at the Arrow's bunkers. However, as always, the steel doors didn't seem to hold Amunet back. The three of them watched the villainess use her powers to pull the metal from the opening and wrap it around her body shaping it like armor.

"She can control metal." Winn said out loud, his voice expressing the full extent of how screwed they were.

"We can't let Amunet take over STAR labs. The files I have on every one of us is all she'll need to not only find out our identities but our weaknesses as well." She explained with determination to the other two.

Then she reached under the desk and took hold of a big laser gun. Felicity's and Winn's eyes widen in surprise. "I didn't know you guys kept weapons under there?" Felicity spoke for both her and Winn.

Caitlin shrugged. "It's not the first time a supervillain storms into STAR labs without a problem. There's more like this under the other desks."

At the nod of Caitlin's head, Winn and Felicity moved like they were acting on a programmed autopilot. They found two similar guns under the other desk and joined Caitlin, who moved behind the opening of the cortex. Deafening silence spread between them as they waited with the weapons ready to fire. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Footsteps reached their ears as Amunet's boots clicked on the moped hallway floor. Caitlin moved her fingers around the gun to get a better hold of it and nodded with her eyes at Felicity.

"Get ready." She warned in a whisper.

The two hackers nodded in confirmation, both feeling extremely scared but not letting it show. When the sound appeared to be close enough the three of them exchanged a knowing look and then Felicity went out first followed by Caitlin and Winn. They came face to face with Blacksmith, who was covered head to toe with metal and fired at her. Winn and Caitlin missed their target miserably. Felicity managed to hit Amunet in one of her random shots, but it proved to be pointless as it did nothing to the armor around Blacksmith's body. Then their guns flew away from their hands and fell to the ground. Three sets of eyes widen in horror. Knowing that they were screwed if they didn't move, Caitlin, Winn and Felicity dove inside the cortex and tried to find a hiding spot. They didn't manage to take three steps before Amunet entered the cortex, now her head uncovered by the metal.

"You know, all guns have some metal part in them." She just threw the information out there.

Felicity winched at how high pitched her voice was. Winn peaked from his hiding spot and saw Amunet smiling like a lunatic. Her black painted lips were stretched in an ugly way and her eyes were sharp as she looked carefully around the room.

"This is going to be the best base of operation." She said moving around and her many little braids moving with her.

"You are not getting this lab." Felicity said with conviction. "Not if we have anything to do with it."

Amunet laughed making her braids bounce around from the ponytail on the top of her head. Winn crawled next to the women. His heart was beating fast in his chest. "Has anyone told you that the Mother of Dragons look doesn't look good on you?" he said loudly.

Not that Amunet seemed to be bothered by his snarky remark. Instead, she continued laughing. "Do you know why the CCPD has yet to catch me?" she asked. "It's because every witness is too dead to testify against me. And you really think that you three can stop me?" her voice mocked them.

Felicity looked at the other two. "We need to get out of here."

Winn nodded his head agreeing with his colleague. "And fast."

Caitlin had a skeptical expression on her face. One that neither Winn nor Felicity understood. Finally, Caitlin made her decision. "You two go to the time vault and keep an eye for the team from there. Cisco has programmed the scan to work for the right palm of every member of the League."

"What about you?" Winn asked immediately.

"You need to come with us." Felicity added.

But Caitlin just shook her head. "I'll hold her off." She said ripping her necklace. _I trust you. Please don't prove me wrong._ "Now go!" she ordered as her eyes flashed icy blue.

Winn and Felicity watched with widening eyes as Killer Frost started taking over Caitlin. Subconsciously, they both moved backward as her hair started growing white and her skin paled. Neither had ever seen the transformation happen and they both felt scared for their friend when her lips started turning blue. Seeing that the other two were immobilized, the ice queen blew from her mouth throwing them successfully back and out of the cortex. Then she raised both hands and sealed the opening with a wall of ice. Felicity and Winn looked at each other for a moment, both shocked at what they witnessed. Then, after they realized that they couldn't enter the cortex, they left for the time vault.

Killer Frost got up from her hiding place. Seeing the ice queen Amunet smiled ever brighter.

"And I was worried that I wouldn't get to have a challenging fight." She said cheerfully.

Killer Frost sent her a bored stare. " **I wouldn't be so happy about it.** "

An icicle formed in her hand before she threw it with force at the other woman. Amunet got out of the way just in time and then attacked too, sending two sharp metal blades at her. Killer Frost ducked avoiding getting hit. She quickly got back on her feet and started a more aggressive attack, throwing icicle after icicle at Blacksmith with a fast pace. The other metahuman ducked the first two attacks and then raised her arm in front of her and a shield formed covering her from Killer Frost's ice. Realizing that this approach wasn't working, Killer Frost stopped throwing icicles deciding to try another way. She formed her arms into a cross and then jerked them abruptly. Amunet jumped fast out of the way. An ice runway was created where the villainess stood previously. Killer Frost's surprised look didn't go unnoticed by her. Taking advantage of the small lack of focus, Blacksmith waved her hands quickly. Two metal gloves formed around Killer Frost's hands trapping them.

Amunet smiled. "Your powers are of no use if you don't have hands." She said arrogantly. "I'm impressed, you are very good. What do you think about leaving those heroes and joining me instead?" She proposed.

Killer Frost fixed her with her with a cold stare. " **I've already been somebody's lackey. I'll pass.** " She said sounding unmoved. " **You mistakenly thought that my powers only work through my hands.** " She added and then without wasting any more time blew an ice cold wave through her mouth.

Amunet was thrown back against the wall. The ice mist covered her vision, but she got right back on her feet.

" **Did you know that any metal can shatter like glass if frozen at the right temperature?** " Killer Frost informed her enemy.

Then she raised her arms in front of her face. The metal had grown colder and frost appeared covering every inch of it. Afterward, she clapped them shattering the metal that fell to the ground. Not missing a beat, the ice meta kneeled down and hit with force her palm on the ground. The next moment ice covered the floor of the cortex, making Amunet slip and fall flat on her back. Killer Frost got up and formed another icicle in her palm and threw it. It pierced Amunet at her right shoulder. It wasn't a kill wound, but the sharp icicle had torn the right tissue that disabled her arm completely. A scream escaped Blacksmith at the pain she felt. Her other hand came to touch the wounded shoulder, but just as she did that Killer Frost threw another icicle at her right leg. Amunet watched in pain as Killer Frost neared her and kneeled down.

" **I told you that you shouldn't be happy to see me**." her chilly voice said and then raised her hand to touch her cheek.

The next moment Blacksmith passed out from hypothermia.

" **I need to get out of here**."


	34. Going through hell

Chapter 34

Cold, unforgiving mud greeted Kara, Cisco, Oliver and Ray as they fell through the magic portal. Cisco grunted as Ray's armored knee pressed hard on his back. Ray rolled over freeing the shorter man.

"That was a rough landing." He groaned.

"You are the one to talk." Cisco snorted sarcastically.

Kara crawled into a sitting position. Her right leg hurt from falling onto a sharp rock. She raised her hand to rub it. There was a bleeding cut on her palm. Her eyes narrowed on the wound.

"Guys, we need to find a way out of here." Oliver said from somewhere close.

The four of them looked around at the burned wasteland. The air smelled of carbon dioxide, the sky was a blood red color and the land around resembled a volcanic desert.

"Are we in hell?" Ray asked out loud.

"Another planet?" Kara suggested.

"Or some kind of apocalyptic world." Cisco finished.

"Wherever we are, we need to get back to our Earth." Oliver announced getting up and dusting his green pants. "Cisco, breach us back."

The metahuman reached beside him and grabbed his broken pair of goggles. He frowned sadly. "I'm afraid I can't."

"But you have breached us before without these." Kara argued.

Cisco pushed his lips and looked over to the Kryptonian. "True, but we have no idea where that twisted wizard sent us. We could be anywhere in the multiverse...or the galaxy. If I don't have clear focus to guide my powers we could end up in a loop, hopping from Earth to Earth indefinitely."

"So our only hope of getting out of here is to fix your goggles." Ray sighed.

Cisco nodded. "I just need a screwdriver or something equally sharp."

"Well we can't do that if we remain on this spot. Kara, can you see in which direction we should go?"

The Kryptonian gave Oliver a sad look. "More bad news." She said and pointed at the sky. "This planet has a red sun, so I don't have my powers."

Four sighs and a curse echoed in the wasteland.

"So what are we going to do now?" Ray asked.

"Maybe we should start walking and hopefully we'll find something." Cisco suggested.

"Sounds like the only plan we've got." Oliver agreed.

Kara nodded her head. "Any plan sounds better than staying here." Then she accepted Oliver's hand and got on her feet.

They were walking for what felt like hours. Their feet had grown tired and their shoes were filled with sand. Only Oliver was still holding up well. Kara missed her powers. Her eyes sifted up to the red sun that painted the sky and glared at it.

"We really are in hell. This is torture." Cisco groaned from next to her.

Somewhere from behind Ray mumbled something in agreement.

"Come on guys, maybe we'll find something after that sandhill." Oliver pressured them.

In return, Cisco snorted. "Yea, more sand...or mud."

"Or our deaths." Ray added.

Kara sighed. They were going like this the entire time. At first, their banter was entertaining, now it was more tiring than the miles they had walked.

"Let's just keep going."

Neither man questioned her authority. They dove their feet in the every here and there dry sand until they had reached the top of the hill. And that's when they saw it: the city of monsters.

"Ok, now I am one hundred percent convinced that we are in hell. Why God? I was a good man." Ray cried.

Kara, Oliver and Cisco turned slowly towards Ray and gave him a stupid look.

"We are definitely on another planet, but I don't recognize the alien species." Kara said.

In front of them laid the remnants of a big city. Huge transmuted insects with wings walked in a line like robots. It took a minute for Oliver to get past his sock. The Dominators weren't nearly as frightening as those things. He shook his head and turned to the others.

"They are either slaves or soldiers. We stay hidden and follow them to where they're headed."

"There's no way these aliens won't notice four strangers in their planet." Ray said.

"And it's not like we three can ninja-hide like you." Cisco pointed out.

"Wait, I just remembered something." Kara's eyes widened with realization. "What about that yellow sun boost you built in my suit?" she eyes Cisco hopefully.

The engineer frowned weirdly. "It operates from STAR labs."

Yet another setback. Suddenly Ray's eyes widen.

"I got it!" he exclaimed in a loud whisper. "I can shrink and follow them to their base."

There was no moment of silence. Everyone agreed that this was a better plan.

"Alright, but be careful for some kind of detection system." Oliver advised. "We don't know how advanced their technology is."

"If they have any." Cisco mumbled under his breath.

Ray just chuckled. "You have no idea how small I can get. Once I entered Kendra's blood stream." He announced proudly.

Kara decided not to ask the three men who Kendra was, but instead, she made a weird face at the visualization of Ray getting inside someone's veins. So that's what happened. Ray shrunk his ATOM suit and flew at the current of the aliens, while the rest of them found a well hidden place, that wasn't occupied by a demon alien.

Ray found that the aliens were gathering in a more advanced facility. In contrary with the wasteland he had seen outside, this place was rich in every sense. From furniture to technology and what looked like food. Still shrunk in the subatomic level, Ray searched for a storage room and thankfully he found one. But he wasn't alone. One of these aliens was talking in an unknown (he guessed alien) language to someone who looked like was his superior. Ray obviously didn't understand what they were saying and the fear he felt didn't make him want to stay any longer than he had to. He found a tool that he thought could help Cisco repair his goggles and hit it with the shrinking ray accomplishing to turn it as small as he was. He was almost out of the room when he heard it. The word ' _Darkseid'_ left one of the aliens' lips and that made Ray pause. Where the hell had that wizard send them? If this Darkseid was the same one they were supposed to fight in the upcoming battle, the reason Earth-1 and Earth-38 merged in the first place, Ray couldn't just leave empty-handed. So he did the only non-risky thing he could think of, with his legs trembling even though he wasn't standing on them. He recorded the rest of their conversation in his suit, hoping that when they arrived back at STAR labs they could find a way to translate the alien language to English.

While waiting for Ray to return Cisco and Kara were playing tic-tac-toe on the sand, while Oliver kept a lookout, his facial expression grumpier than usual.

"I win again." Kara cheered.

Cisco frowned and erased the game with his right palm. "How are you doing this?" he demanded. "You beat me five times in a row."

Kara opened her mouth to answer with a smart reply but before she had the chance Ray regained his size scaring everyone –including Oliver, who immediately drew an arrow and aimed it at him.

"Don't shoot." The man yelled.

Oliver sighed along with Kara and Cisco and relaxed lowering his bow.

"Don't scare us like that." Kara scolded at him.

"Did you find anything helpful?"Cisco asked.

Ray grinned and threw the tool at him. Cisco picked it up and grinned. "Yes, that'll do."

"How long?" Oliver asked sharply.

It gained him an irritated look from the smaller man. "Fast enough."

Only that wasn't the case. Ray's yell of mercy had alerted a close by alien of their whereabouts and stormed into their hiding spot screaming loudly.

Oliver acted so fast that neither Kara nor Ray saw him shooting an arrow straight to the alien's heart. Unfortunately, it didn't kill it. Forgetting for a moment that she didn't have her super strength, Kara rushed on it and punched it on its face. A loud crack echoed as her hand broke bringing tears in the woman's face. She moaned in pain holding her injured hand. The alien screamed again and threw her on the other side. Kara moaned again as the pain exploded in her entire body.

"We need to kill it before it alerts any others." She heard Oliver say.

Ignoring her pain she got back on her feet. Oliver knocked another arrow with the same results. The alien made a step towards the Green Arrow but before it could attack him Ray shot it shrinking it into a miniature.

Ray laughed. "Let's see how harmful you are in that size." He mocked the alien.

Only Kara had a different idea. She stepped on the miniaturized alien and stamped her foot. When she retrieved her boot the alien was melted. Then she looked at the men, who looked bewildered, and shrugged. "Insects freak me out."

Getting over Kara's reply, Oliver turned to Cisco whose eyes were still wide open. "How much longer?"

The engineer started working faster. "Not much."

#

After the distress call from Winn and Felicity informing them that Caitlin had gone full-on Killer Frost to stop Amunet Black from taking over STAR labs, Zatanna had used the last remnants of her energy to transport all of them to the facility. When the feet of the remaining League touched the familiar floor, Zatanna fell down barely managing to hold her eyelids open. The little Witch had never done battle before, therefore she was exhausted from the energy the spells required.

"We need to get her to the med bay." Sara said concerned.

"There's a little problem. The cortex is currently sealed by Killer Frost." Rene replied with his usual snarky voice.

Sara turned to face him with a look of superiority. "Then we unseal it." She said. "And then we convince her to turn back into Caitlin."

Without having to say anything Firestorm turned on the fire in his hands and head. Sara gave him a short nod and started walking towards the cortex. Rene and Alex put their arms around Zatanna and helped her up and followed suit after Dinah. The Black Canary mentally prepared herself in case they needed to fight their friend-but-not-so-much.

"Stay in the time vault." Sara instructed the two IT people.

There was no objection from either. As they walked closer the air got colder. It was definitely the work of Killer Frost. The entrance to the cortex was sealed with an ice wall. Jax put his hand on it and the ice started to melt away. On the other side of the opening, a white mop of hair greeted them. However prepared they thought they were as they came there, they really weren't. Because as she turned and icy eyes and cold face got revealed in the team's eyes, that was when they really realized who Killer Frost really was. That cold view tensed everyone. Alex and Rene who were holding Zatanna, and Dinah and Jax got prepared to fight if needed too. Sara was the only one who kept her cool, having been the only one who knew more about Caitlin's other personality.

"Frost." She acknowledged her.

The ice queen pushed her lips. " **It's Killer Frost**." She corrected the White Canary.

Sara eyed Amunet passed out cold (literally). "Perhaps you should reconsider your name. I haven't seen you do much killing."

" **I could change that**." Killer Frost raised her smoking cold hand in her direction. " **You want to fight me?** "

Sara shook her head, her eyes never leaving the ice meta that inhabited her friend's body. "I don't want to fight you."

Killer Frost scoffed. " **Then you should let me leave**."

Sara didn't make a move to stop her. "Are you sure about that?" she asked calmly instead. "I mean where are you going to go? What are you going to do?"

" **That's none of your business**." The other woman spat.

"It's not." She agreed. "But I'm guessing that the only reason you and I are having this conversation right now is because Caitlin trusted you. Are you really going to let her down?"

" **I don't own Caitlin anything. And neither to you all**."

"We are your friends."

" **You are Caitlin's friends. I'm not going to be enslaved by you again**."

"Team Flash didn't treat you right, I acknowledge that. But they were only trying to do what they thought was best for their friend." She continued just as calmly. "I know that it doesn't justify what they did to you, but their actions were driven by fear –Caitlin's fear. You can't tell me that you don't know what that's like."

Seeing Killer Frost not responding with a snarky remark, but instead thinking through her words, Sara took it as a progress. "The past few weeks Caitlin has been trying to bridge that space between you too. You promised her that you would be cooperative. Does your word mean nothing?"

Killer Frost's icy eyes glared at her with rage. " **You're calling me a liar?** "

Sara shook her head quickly. "No, I'm not. But if you're truly not the bad guy and Caitlin is willing to give you a shot, then so are we. So give us a shot too." She suggested. "Let's put past out differences and let us get to know you and you get to know us. Let's try to work as a team."

Killer Frost eyed her for several minutes. Her cold stare left chills down the team's spines, but they didn't dare show it. Who knew what effect it was going to have on the ice queen's decision? Finally, Killer Frost sighed and frowned.

" **Fine. But you get one chance**." She warned. " **I'll give you Caitlin back. Call me when the whole League reassembles.** "

Before either could blink her eyes lost their glow and her appearance started to warm back into the Caitlin Snow they all knew and cared about. Caitlin blinked feeling out of place.

"What happened? Did it work?" she seemed to be talking to herself. Then her eyes focused on the people in front of her and her expression formed into a scared one. "Oh my God! She didn't hurt you, did she?"

Moving in sync the four people relaxed. Sara moved to hug Caitlin and Alex and Rene raced to lay Zatanna to the med bay, while Dinah just stood there not sure what to do. Jax and Professor Stein separated once they knew that the danger was over.

"She didn't hurt us." Sara reassured the doctor. "I can't say the same for Amunet thought."

Caitlin's eyes fell on the villainess. "Oh, good." She mumbled. "That's what I was hoping for."

"And she did agree to work this thing out."

Caitlin sighed visibly, her shoulders falling relaxed. The brunette opened her mouth to thank Sara, but before anything could come out an alerting sound made everyone look up to the screens. A green artificial face appeared on the screens and upon seeing it the League felt themselves falling into a trance. Afterward, one by one the pixels that conducted the face started coming out of the screen until they had assembled a full grown man. Clifford DeVoe circled around each member and finally settled in front of Caitlin. He searched inside her mind, looking for a solution for the problem he had. Her mind was open for him to use as if he was as capable as her in her field.

"Hmmm. Interesting." He mumbled to himself.

It was at this moment when a Speedforce portal opened and Barry Allen came out. The Flash's eyes widened behind his mask seeing his friends and teammates looking like statues.

"Let my friends go." he demanded from the unknown man.

Without a second thought, he sped towards him ready to take him out and hoping that by doing this his friends will be freed. But surprisingly his course was stopped when, all of a sudden, Sara kicked him in the chest. Barry fell down more because of his surprise. His green eyes fell on the White Canary and then locked on the man.

"What have you done to them?" he demanded again.

Clifford appeared to be calm. "I have no interest in harming your friends or you, Flash." He told the hero sincerely. "This is just a precaution that you won't harm me. Their minds are currently my own. I'm just searching for an answer, that's all, and I appear to have found it in this woman's mind."

"You are that meta that is responsible for those kids' deaths." Barry realized.

DeVoe looked sad. Pain was written in his dark brown eye until he closed them for a second and when he opened them again that pain was gone. "That was an unfortunate side effect that I hadn't predicted. I never meant to harm those kids." He admitted.

However, his confection didn't make Barry feel any better.

"Despite the fact that I have gotten better control of my powers, your friend's intellect tells me that my brain doesn't have the energy to enter more than a handful of minds without killing them. I struggle to not cause any harm to your teammates as it is."

Barry was frowning deeply. He didn't like what the man was telling him. He remembered the lesson the Speedforce spend time teaching him. This was it –the battle they were preparing him for. He needed to save his friends. So he sped up his mind's process trying to picture every possible outcome from taking on the villain.

"And why would you want to enter other people's heads?" he pressed going through different scenarios.

"You wouldn't understand." DeVoe sounded disappointed. "But I have the good of the world at my best interest. Looking through everyone's minds to understand where humanity's problem is and then try to make it better –for a better future."

"People have the right to make their own decisions, good and bad." Barry objected.

"Maybe we are past that point."

It wasn't working. Every strategy, every action he thought of taking, his speed mind showed him the same outcome. That his friends wouldn't make it. There was only one option.

"I'll make you a deal." He said suddenly.

DeVoe eyed him confused but intrigued.

"You said that your brain needed more energy in order to do what you want. Well, I'm a speedster, there's no other body on this Earth with more energy than mine." He explained. "So I'm going to allow you access to my mind if you let my friends go."

"Are you really going to do this? Help me?" DeVoe asked with astonishment.

"Only if you let my team free. Then you can take over my body."

Clifford was thoughtful for a moment. Then he grinned at the Flash and walked closer to him. "We have a deal, Flash. Meet me at this address alone." He gave him a piece of paper.

Then in front of his eyes, the man's body disintegrated and entered the screen he had come out of. After his exit, the rest of the team blinked coming out of DeVoe's control. Sara was the first to spot him.

"Barry, you're back."

But the speedster didn't have time to waste. "I have to take care of something. Please don't follow or track me."

And without a further explanation, he took off leaving a trail of yellow lightning behind him.

#

James Olsen had come to the conclusion that he really, _really_ hated regular criminals more than aliens. As soon as they had gotten to Iron Heights the Trickster had found a way to separate the three heroes. James had followed the villain's trail, only to be fooled, more than a couple of times. It really frustrated him. He was currently stuck on the side wall covered in a thick, slime green substance that looked like snot. James told himself that it wasn't actual snot, but only because he didn't want to puke all over himself. He hoped that Mon-El and Wally had better luck catching the Trickster, but he highly doubted it since neither had come to rescue him yet.

Wally had fallen into a trap of his own. Only it wasn't slime. Trickster had managed to get his hands in a freezing weapon, just like Captain Cold's, and Wally had fallen right into it. The good news was that only his feet and torso had frozen and he had started vibrating slowly to break the ice. Slowly.

Mon-El was more than a little annoyed. He was straight up irritated with the Trickster. The villain reminded him of the Toyman, whom he didn't have a good experience with. Mon-El kept hearing his name, but he still hadn't been able to find him.

James almost screamed halleluiah when Wally found him. The speedster vibrated his hands and fazed James out of the slime.

"Do you know where Mon-El is?"

Wally shook his head. "Let's find him."

The other man agreed and although he didn't want to, he let Wally carry him as he sped through the halls. They found Mon-El just as a small bomb exploded on the Daxamite's head. The blast more irritated the alien than hurt him.

"Did you find the Trickster?" they asked together.

From Mon-El's glare, they realized that he hadn't.

"I think I know where he is." Wally said. "We searched all the tunnels underneath Iron Heights, but there is one that leads to the old wing. They don't use it anymore and it'd be the perfect place for the Trickster to enter the prison unsuspected." He explained.

"It's worth checking out." James agreed and Mon-El simply shrugged. He really needed to catch this stupid villain now.

And fairly enough, that's where he was. Trickster didn't know what hit him when Wally's fist collided with his face and knocked him out cold.

"I better deliver Iron Height's newest inmate to the guards." He said to Mon-El and James. "Wait for me outside. Do you remember the way out?"

At both their nods the speedster left with the Trickster, while the other two returned from the way they came.

#

Barry Allen arrived at the location DeVoe had given him in a...flash.

"Welcome to my lab, Flash." The man said, gaining Barry's attention. "I'm really glad that you agreed to do this."

 _Whatever..._ , Barry thought rolling his eyes. "Let's just get to it." He mumbled and his voice sounded more like the Green Arrow's than his.

"Of course." DeVoe said respectfully. "If you just follow me, you need to sit here for me to enter your consciousness."

Barry looked at the device skeptically. It looked like a modified version of whatever Cisco had used once on him and had caused him amnesia.

"You're planning on giving me a perm?" he couldn't help but say the same words he had used then.

The man chuckled. "No, by plugging your brainwaves into the device it will allow me to transfer my consciousness to your body."

"Splendid." Barry whispered sarcastically.

However, he did as the man told him. It was the only way to save his friends. By giving himself to the villain. Once he was sited, DeVoe gave him a cup with wires to wear and he got one for himself too. Barry eyed it for a second and then he wore it to his head. Copying his actions DeVoe put the cup on too. They both felt the effects immediately.

Barry found himself standing in a familiar empty street in Central City. Of course, after patrolling his hometown for more than three years, Barry knew the city better than the palm of his hand.

DeVoe was there too, staring with astonishment his surroundings. "This is incredible." He exclaimed happily.

"I know, right?" Barry replied loudly.

Hearing the Flash's voice, DeVoe turned surprised to look at the red costumed hero. "Why are you here? You are not supposed to be aware of what is happening. Your mind is mine."

Barry gave him a sly smile. "Yea, well..." He grinned. "You miscalculated something. This is my mind. And I am in control of it."

"No, it's impossible." DeVoe shook his head.

Barry shrugged still grinning. "That's the thing, I am the impossible."

"No." DeVoe shouted refusing to accept the hero's words. He put two fingers on his temple and glared at the Flash. Surprised that nothing happened he lowered his hand. "Why don't I have control of the mind space?"

"If I was a regular person you would be. But I am the fastest man alive." Barry explained. "When you entered my mind I was moving it at super speed –still am. You are simply not fast enough."

DeVoe sighed and glued his eyes to the hero. "Then I guess I have to take over control manually."

What he meant with that became cleat to Barry when the man attacked him. The two of them engaged in an old-fashioned hand to hand combat. What Barry learned was that by using his speed mind to remain in control had side effects: he didn't have super speed inside the mind space. And let's face it, despite Sara's training he wasn't a very skilled fighter. He wasn't awful, but DeVoe had managed to land some very powerful kicks. Barry landed hard on his ass. Yet another villain who had kicked him down. As he got back to his feet he made a promise to make Sara train him more when he got back. This wasn't working as he had thought. He didn't know for sure what was going to happen when he allowed the man inside his mind, but he had figured that the fight would be over sooner. He needed another strategy, so he decided to do something else. He closed his eyes and focused. When he heard the other man squeal he opened them. DeVoe was surrounded by his all his teammates. A grin found its way back on Barry's lips.

"How are you able to do this?" DeVoe demanded.

"I told you, I am in control."

With a simple thought, the rest of the League circled around the villain and caught him by his hands and feet. DeVoe tried to get free, but he was immobilized by the grips on him. Barry smiled as he walked closer. He had finally learned his lesson. The League together. They could defeat any evil if they worked together. Face to face now, Barry raised his fist and knocked it hard against DeVoe's face.

Barry blinked and found himself back at the lab. Opposite of him DeVoe sat with his head hanging. Quickly Barry took off the cup he was wearing and sped over to the man. He pressed two fingers at his throat, but he felt no pulse. Barry sighed filled with sadness. He hadn't meant for the man to get killed. And unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do to change what had already happened. Barry sighed again and rushed to return to STAR labs. He would call Joe to tell him what happened when he got there.

#

Meanwhile, back at STAR labs, the minute Barry was gone Caitlin rushed over at the consoles.

"Are you tracking him?" Dinah asked the woman.

"I am but...ugh. He just turned off the tracker in his suit." She groaned.

"He said he didn't want us to track him." Sara pointed out.

Caitlin bit her lip and cursed. "If only Cisco was here, he would be able to vibe him."

"At least can we find out where they went?" Dinah asked.

But the doctor had more bad news. "Winn set the right parameters to the satellite to find them, but we don't have a match yet. If they are even on this Earth."

"And Zatanna is too exhausted to cast a tracking spell." The Black Canary sighed.

"Zatanna is sleeping, she'll be fine." Alex announced entering to cortex along with Rene.

At that moment Kid Flash, Mon-El and James arrived back too.

"And that ladies and gentlemen was a job well done." The young speedster said cheerfully. Upon seeing the uneasy expressions on their faces his smile flattered. "What's wrong?"

"Kara, Cisco, Oliver and Ray are still missing and Barry is gone." Sara provided them with the answer.

"Barry was already gone." Wally frowned.

This time it was Dinah who answered. "No, he came back. And then he left again."

"And said that we shouldn't track him." Caitlin added irritated.

Wally hummed. "Want me to search for him?"

"He could be anywhere." Alex pointed out.

The rest agreed with a sigh. Their day started looking up when a portal opened in the middle of the cortex. The team eyed it conflicted between happiness and wary. Their worries died when four familiar figures came through crushing one on top of the other.

"We're back!" Kara and Ray exclaimed happily getting up.

"Thank God." Oliver groaned in his familiar way.

Cisco looked around him at his friends and grinned while he remained on the floor. "Man, I'm so happy to see you all."

But Caitlin didn't leave him time for rest. "Quickly, you need to vibe Barry." She pulled the man to his feet.

"Chill out woman, we just got back."

At the 'chill' mention Sara, Dinah and the rest made an uncomfortable face, but they didn't volunteer to explain further.

"Now!" Caitlin growled.

Cisco jumped at her tone and put his goggles back on his face. "I see him. He's-" but his words were cut short when he got dizzy. He took off his goggles and rubbed his head. "Man, I should really stop vibing speedsters when they run."

Barry was back in no time. "Hey guys. What did I miss?"

"We just came back from an alien planet." Ray told him.

"Where did you go?" Caitlin yelled at him at the same time.

"I just took care of the meta that was responsible for those kids' deaths. Wait, did you say you were on an alien planet?"

"Long story." Kara sighed.

"But I did manage to get something important, I think."

Everyone turned to look at Ray. The ATOM pressed a button on his suit and the recording started playing.

"What was that?" Rene asked for everyone.

"I heard two of the aliens talking. Listen to it again." He replayed it.

Even after that everyone was still just as confused as the first time.

"Wait." Kara said skeptically. "Did I hear something about Darkseid somewhere in there?"

Ray grinned like a child. "Yes! If we can translate this, it could be important information."

Socking silence spread in the cortex.

"You know, maybe Gideon would be able to translate it." Sara suggested at last.

"You want me to contact the Legends?" Felicity asked her.

"Who knows what they are up to?" Ray chuckled.

Cisco and Caitlin gave a pointed look at Barry. Dinah eyed them and narrowed her eyes.

"Am I missing something?"

Barry sighed. "We have Gideon in the time vault. But we have shut her down." He admitted. "Thawne was using her to see future events and plan accordingly. We thought that knowing the future was not a good idea, so we shut the AI down."

"This could really help us, Barry." Kara said softly.

"I know." He agreed. "We can restart her program."

"Then let's go." Felicity said eagerly.

"Wait, I have a question." Sara caused them all to pause. "How do you have Gideon?"

Barry shrugged. "Apparently I built it in the future." He replied simply.

"Well, that's good to know." He heard Felicity mumble.

Barry plugged in the microchip and the next moment Gideon came to life.

" _Hello, Barry Allen. How may I help you today?"_ the AI asked.

"Hello, Gideon. Do you mind if Felicity runs some language in your program?"

" _Certainly!"_

Barry moved aside and allowed Felicity to transfer the recording to the AI program. After a few minutes, they had a result. Not only was the language found, but they had the whole dialogue written in front of them.

" _Orion won't be successful next time. The New Gods can't stop us from taking over the universe."_

" _For Darkseid!"_

" _For Darkseid!"_


	35. Normal problems

Chapter 35

"Does anyone have any idea who or what Orion is?" Jax asked from somewhere in the back.

"Or the New Gods?" Cisco added. "I mean what name is that? These guys ain't original at all."

Barry folded his arms in front of his chest, right below the Flash symbol. He had a thoughtful frown on his face as he stared at the message on the holographic screen. "Gideon, do you know who they're talking about?"

"I'm afraid not, Barry Allen." The AI's voice answered. "My archives do not contain this information."

"It'd be too easy if they did now, wouldn't it?" Oliver said with a sigh. "Perhaps we can go back there and get more information." He suggested.

There was a loud squeal from Cisco. "I'm sorry, but I don't plan on becoming insect food any time soon."

"This is our only lead, Cisco." Oliver objected.

"Perhaps Zatanna can help when she regains her strength." Kara interfered before the two got into a fight.

"Who's Zatanna." Barry asked confused.

The others stared at him. Right, he hadn't met Zatanna because he was on Earth-2."

"She is a Witch. Constantine sent her in his place." Felicity told him.

"She needs a lot of training, but she has much potential." Sara added.

Barry nodded. "That's great." He said shutting down the AI again. "So, what else did I miss?"

Barry was seriously impressed. In his absence, the team not only had managed to but Dr. Elias behind bars, but also put an end to Blacksmith's operation and found more information about Darkseid.

"It's very impressive what you accomplished while I was away."

"We missed you every day." Kara offered him sweetly.

"True. It was like missing a limp." Cisco added.

Barry blushed from the compliment and cleared his throat. "Well, Kara can you see if you can find anything about Orion or the New Gods in the Fortress?"

Kara nodded. "I can try. As long as I don't ask about the Worldkillers I think it's going to be fine."

"Good."

"Speaking of which..." Felicity said. "We were able to transfer the information out of the crystal and Winn and I are working on a virus to hack it."

The shocked expression on Barry's face was hard to miss, as it shined for everyone to see. "That's amazing! Keep working on it. The sooner we deal with it the better."

"So what is our next move?" Alex asked.

The speedster shrugged. "I don't think there's much we can do right now. Go home, get some rest. You deserve it. I'll go meet our newest member. But before that, Wally, Oliver, can I have a word?"

The two men nodded their heads and followed Barry in the hallway. The rest remained in the cortex at Cisco's subtle bulging eyes.

"What is it?" Oliver asked Barry, while Wally just waited for the speedster to start talking.

Barry sighed lightly. "So, Iris and I have decided to finally have the wedding. I've already asked Cisco to be my best man, so what do you say, want to be my other groomsmen?"

"Heck yes." Wally exclaimed loudly. "I look good in a tuxedo."

Barry laughed at the younger speedster's excitement.

"I'll be honored, Barry." Oliver smiled.

Barry couldn't help but smile too. "Thanks guys. I'll go meet Zatanna now." He clapped them both on the arm and left.

Oliver and Wally looked briefly at each other and then walked back to the cortex.

"Now that they are here, what is it Cisco?" Dinah was the one to ask.

The engineer eyed the med bay making sure that Barry wasn't listening and then returned his attention back to the team. "We need to prepare."

"Prepare about what?"

"Barry and Iris' wedding." He explained, but when everyone kept looking at him with a blank, clueless expression he elaborated. "I mean we should prepare for a fight. A superhero is getting married. There's no way everything will go smoothly."

"I think he is right." Felicity acknowledged.

"I think so too." Alex agreed. "There's no way it won't rain supervillains on the Flash's wedding day."

"So, are we in agreement? We'll all bring our weapons and A game to the wedding and even the day before?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. And that was the moment something completely unexpected happened. Supergirl sneezed. The team stared shocked at the girl of steel.

"I thought you couldn't get sick." Jax voiced with concerned.

Kara was clueless and speechless at the same time.

"Maybe she caught something while we were on that alien planet." Ray suggested. "She didn't have her powers due to the red sun."

"Wouldn't she have healed when she got them back?" Caitlin asked.

But Alex shook her head. "Not necessarily. She was already infected when she got them." She explained. "We should do some tests, Kara. Caitlin, you want to help?"

The doctor nodded and the three of them walked to the med bay.

#

When Barry got back to the loft he found Iris wedding planning like crazy.

"Iris?" he said to get her attention.

The woman's gaze lifted immediately from what she was doing and a big smile appeared on her face as she saw him. She dropped the magazine and run to him hugging him tightly.

"Babe, your back." She exclaimed happily as she kissed him.

Barry couldn't help but respond to the heated kiss. He had missed her terribly after all.

"What are you doing up so late?" he wondered.

Iris guided him to the couch and showed him the wedding plans. Barry was very impressed. In just a few weeks, Iris had managed to organize the entire ceremony. He had wanted to help with the preparations too, but sadly his superhero job had prevented him from helping out much.

"Wow! How were you able to do all this so quickly? Are you sure you're not secretly a speedster too?" he joked.

"I had help." She admitted smiling. "Caitlin gave me her own plans from her and Ronnie's wedding planning. I had Cecile and Kara and Felicity, and Lois took time off from the Daily Planet and came from Metropolis for a few days." She said sounding very grateful for her friends' help.

Barry chuckled. "I see. Girl power at maximum."

Iris gave him a pointed look, which made him chuckle again. "Are these the new invitations?" he asked picking up the letters. "They are beautiful." He said tracing the paper with his fingers and then proceeded to check all the names they were addressed to.

"I asked Caitlin to be my maid of honor and Felicity and Kara to be my bridesmaids." Iris continued. "I wanted to ask Lois too after everything the woman has done for me –we have become good friends- but she said that she would only walk down the aisle when she and Clark get married."

Barry averted his eyes from the invitations and gave Iris a warm smile. "That's great. Cisco is already my best man and I just asked Oliver and Wally to stand up for me too." He informed her.

"Really?" Iris asked surprised. "You asked Wally?"

"Of course. I know that he is your brother, but technically he's mine too and he was all too happy when I asked him. So you're done with everything? There's nothing I can help with?"

Iris shook her head. "No, babe. I've got everything under control. The only thing left is to find the wedding dress. Everything I have tried on either doesn't fit right or is too pricey for what they're selling." She sighed sadly.

Barry traced with his eyes the last name of the invited. His eyes shined and smiled proudly at what he thought. "I think I have an idea about that. I'm going to deliver these real fast and then I'm going to order you your very own special-made wedding dress."

Iris eyed him skeptically. "What do you have in mind?"

"You'll see." He smiled in mischief. "Just expect a call from a great designer."

Barry kissed her one more time and then he left, running to all the friends and family they had on Earth-1. He left three of them at STAR labs to have Cisco send them to Earth-2 and Earth-3 and then, with the last one still in his hands, he raced over to Detroit.

Vixen was in the middle of hunting down a criminal gang that was responsible for dealing a very dangerous new drug to teenagers. After a month of research and multiple dead ends, Mari had finally found their lair (as Cisco would say). She had counted at least two dozen armed men inside the warehouse. She had already taken down six and was about to add two more on her list. That was until a very familiar and annoying whoosh echoed, accompanied by a light breeze. The air became electric and the next moment every man was knocked out and tied.

The Flash stood in all his red glory in the middle of the warehouse, looking proud of his work, if the stupid, smug, smirk on his face was any indication. Despite the fact that Mari respected and admired the superhero, it was often that she found herself irritated by him. With a sigh, Mari approached the scarlet speedster. He was here for a reason and she was determined to find out why.

"I had that." She said loudly with a strong voice. She needed to show the Flash that she wouldn't let him mess with her, although she knew he wouldn't. That was the Green Arrow's specialty.

Barry turned to the direction of her voice and smiled that sweet, bright smile of his. Mari had always wondered why other metahuman's feared him. The Flash was like a cuddly teddy bear. However, once she had worked with him she saw what he was truly capable of and then she understood.

"I know." He said cheerfully. "But I wanted to ask you something and this looked like it would take a while."

Mari didn't fight her urge to roll her eyes. "I appreciate the assist, but why are you here, Red?"

The Flash shook his head. "Not here. Let's meet at your place."

Seeing his eyes filling with lightning, Mari quickly raised her hand to stop him. "Don't you dare carry me." She warned him. "I'll meet you there."

Barry gave her a sheepish look and then sped off. Vixen touched her totem and summoned the spirit of the hawk. Then she followed him.

When she entered her place, Barry was already there and had changed from his bright, red suit, to normal, civilian clothes.

"You want something to drink?" she asked grabbing a beer for herself.

Barry shook his head. "No, thank you." He declined politely.

"So, to what do I owe this visit?" she asked taking a seat and nodding for Barry to do the same. "Are you here to recruit me to your little Justice League?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

Barry chuckled. "Actually, no." he replied sincerely. "Have I wanted to? Absolutely! But I know that you prefer working alone. I respect that."

That was the thing about Barry Allen, he was always sincere. He didn't lie to you, he didn't have a secret agenda. She always appreciated that about him.

"Now that you mentioned it, though..." he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I want you to know that if ever you are in need of help, you can always call the League to assist."

Mari raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "In exchange for what?"

Barry simply shrugged. "Nothing. I'm not trying to make you join the League, Mari. But superheroes have each other's backs. And I want you to feel comfortable asking for help if you ever need it."

Mari was thoughtful for a moment. Then she nodded her head. "Okay."

"Anyway, I'm here to give you this." He shoved an envelope in her hands.

Mari eyed it carefully and then opened it. "You're inviting me to your wedding?" she asked surprised.

Barry shrugged once again. "Of course. I consider you my friend, Mari. I'd be very happy if you came."

Vixen felt something warm inside her. She realized that, like her, Barry didn't have family members to come to his wedding. The speedster would only have his superhero friends sitting at his side of the church. And suddenly, Mari felt honored to be invited. She smiled at him.

"Of course I'll come. Thank you for inviting me."

Barry visible sighed. "Great! And on top of that, can I ask you for a favor?"

Mari lost her smile and looked him dead in the eyes. "What?" she almost growled.

The man chuckled nervously. "I just became aware that Iris has had bad luck finding her perfect wedding dress. Are you interested in making one for her?"

One thing became clear to Mari at this moment. Iris West was a very lucky woman.

#

In National City Kara Danvers was having a very bad day. Scratch that –she was having a very bad week. As it turned out, in the time she had spent under the red sun in apocalypse planet she had gotten sick. Caitlin and her sister had gotten her under the lab-created red sun radiation that Stein and Ray had created and run countless tests on her. After a lot of pocking the results had come in. Because Kara had never gotten sick in her alien life, her body didn't have the antibodies to fight the sickness. Therefore, despite the fact that Kara had gained all her super abilities once she returned to Earth, her organism was fighting the virus like any normal person. Both doctors had told her that she needed to wear a bracelet that radiated red sun radiation in order to avoid any...unfortunate accidents caused by her powers, that seemed to leave and return at unknown times.

Kara groaned and turned sides in her bed.

She hated this. She hated being sick. She couldn't comprehend how humans got through sickness all the time. Her stomach was turning, her nose felt like a balloon and her head and throat hurt like a...beep. She wondered when all this was going to go away.

As another pained moan left her lips, Mon-El appeared from the kitchen bringing a bowl of soup to her.

"I think I have this recipe that your mother gave me perfected." He said happily as he placed the chicken noodle soup on the nightstand.

"I don't feel like eating anything any time soon." Kara groaned.

Mon-El scolded at her. "Kara you have to. Alex and Caitlin made it pretty clear that you need to eat soup for your strength, drink tea and take this medicine for the fever.

Oh, yeah, fever. Add that to the list of symptoms she had.

"By the way, Eliza called and asked if she should come and take care of you, but I told her that I had everything under control." He informed her. "Except if you want her to come. I can totally call her back and tell her that you need her."

Kara couldn't help but smile tiredly at how sweet Mon-El was. This past week he had treated her like she was the queen of everything. It was hard to imagine that this beautiful, amazing man was once a selfish, arrogant, prick of a Daxamite prince. Mon-El had come a long way since his arrival on Earth and Kara was really glad to be a part of his life. She reached out and took his hand to hers.

"No, you're all I need." She replied with a hoarse voice. "Thank you for being here and taking care of me."

Mon-El smiled back and caressed her cheek. "I wouldn't be anywhere else. By the way, J'onn said that he would take over both our superhero sifts so I can stay and look after you."

"He doesn't have to do that. You can go. I'll be fine." She objected.

"But I want to stay with you."

"Well," Kara started and tried to sit in a more upright position. "I can help. I'll take off my bracelet and most of the symptoms will go away."

Mon-El gave her a disapproving look. "Do you remember what happened at STAR labs?"

Kara remembered it very clearly. She had sneezed and blew a hole in the wall. And the next moment she lost her powers and hit her toe in the corner of the bed that caused her to scream from the unimaginable pain she felt. She had immediately tried to take her injured foot in her hands but had stumbled and fell on Caitlin's medical tray and got hurt even more. From that moment, both Caitlin and Alex had forbidden her from leaving her bed beside going to the bathroom.

Kara groaned again but this time not from the sickness. "I remember."

#

Barry was working on a DNA analysis when Joe walked into the lab. The younger man picked up from his work and gave his foster father a small smile.

"Hey, Joe."

Barry knew why he was here. He had told Joe everything that went down with DeVoe and the detective had promised that he would look into it to see what he could do. Now he was here, almost a whole day later, to share the news. How much had he screwed up? The man was never supposed to die. It pained Barry, despite the fact that he had stopped an evil man from taking control of everyone's mind. One good deed didn't erase a bad one. And Barry knew that he should follow the law regardless. A person had died and the police needed to know. It was just easier if Joe was the one to ''find'' it.

"Hey, Barr." Joe greeted back.

However, he didn't make an attempt to dive into what ate up Barry. The CSI rubbed his hands in anticipation and his legs moved up and down in a fast rhythm to accompany his neurotic habit. Joe considered for a moment to just tell him what he found right away. But then, Barry was very amusing when he was nervous.

"Cecile says hi." He said instead, attempting small talk.

Barry nodded abruptly, his eyes moving all over his lab but not staying long in one place.

"So, what happened with the body?" he asked no longer able to wait.

Joe decided to take pity on him. "He's not dead."

Barry's eyes widened. "He's not? But..."

Joe shook his head. "He's not dead, but he might as well be." He sighed. "He is in the medical center, his brain is dead, can't function. His doctor said that he is basically a vegetable."

Joe was right, he might as well be dead. Another kind of pang ached inside Barry's chest. He had sentenced a man in a life worse than death. Barry raised his hand and hid half his face in his palm.

"What have I done, Joe?"

The other man was quickly at his side laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, don't think like that. You were trying to prevent a very bad thing from happening. What have I told you? In this line of work you can't save everyone, there is going to be collateral damage. All you need to do is not let it get in your head and continue to do a good job."

Barry raised his head and looked shyly at Joe. He opened his mouth to reply but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Captain Singh walking into the lab.

"Mr. Allen. Do you have the results I asked for?" he asked and then spotted Joe too. "Oh, hey Joe."

"Hello, Captain." The detective said with respect.

Barry was quick on his feet. He grabbed the file underneath all the papers on his desk and gave it to David. "Here, Captain. I was going to bring it to you in a few."

Captain Singh nodded his head and his eyes drifted to the report. Finally, he closed it and a pleasing look appeared on his face.

"That's good, Barry. You clocked out half an hour ago, go home." He said to his employee.

And just then another voice entered the lab talking loudly. "You know, you can't have a bachelor party when the groom is missing." Cisco clearly hadn't seen that the Captain was there too. "What are you still doing here, Barry? Are you trying to bail on your own party? You already made Oliver promise no strippers."

It's needless to say that Barry was horrified. But Cisco didn't seem fazed at all, even when his eyes fell on Singh. He just smiled and greeted him like they were old friends. Barry hopped that Singh didn't punish him instead. Behind Cisco, Oliver, Wally, Ray and Jax came in along with Rene, Winn and Mon-El –all of them ready to party.

"Come on, slowpoke. We don't have all night to waste." Rene said eyeing the funny expression on Barry's face.

David was confused. His eyes hadn't left the bunch of men that had entered Barry's lab. The man in question said his good-byes to the Captain and along with Joe, followed his friends out. But David was still confused and taken aback. He didn't know that Barry had so many friends. The man had always guessed that his young CSI was a loner. He obviously knew about Cisco and Caitlin as the two of them often visited him at the station. But this...? The Captain was still confused as to how exactly Barry was good friends with Oliver Queen. The mayor of Star City didn't seem like the type to click with Barry's personality. And the others...those he had never seen before? David briefly heard two of them saying that they hadn't seen nightlife outside National City as the gang walked away.

He frowned.

Oliver Queen and Mr. Ramirez had come all the way from Star City to celebrate Barry's bachelor party, and Ray Palmer no one knew where he lived these days. The black guy he didn't know who he was, but he seemed fairly familiar as if he had seen him somewhere. So he was probably from Central City. And those other two were apparently from National City. It was weird that Barry's friends were scattered around.

Unless it wasn't.

What other group of people came from the same cities? David's eyes widened. _No way!,_ he thought as the realization hit him. And then, that was replaced with dread. He needed to tell his officers to bring their A-game and always have their eyes open around Iris and Barry's wedding day. They all needed to be on high alert because something bad was going to happen –he just knew it. And he needed to pass this command without raising suspicion.

Barry Allen was a pain in the butt.

#

Oliver was tired. And frustrated. Sometimes he hated his decision to become the mayor of Star City. Honestly, what had he been thinking? Today was one of these examples. He had just got out of a meeting –one that was a big disaster. Seriously, these people couldn't communicate even if you threatened their lives. Oliver hadn't threatened them but... He sighed with frustration as he sat on his desk in his office ready to continue his most important work.

He was seriously tired. And then he remembered that he needed to go to Central City later to celebrate with Barry and the other males. Oliver let out a groan. Perhaps he could finish this in the morning...or the day after. He couldn't not go to the bachelor party. Barry was like a little brother to him. The two men had been through a lot together. Oliver needed –no, wanted to be there for the speedster.

Current work forgotten, Oliver seriously thought about taking a short nap to recharge his batteries. That's when his eyes fell on the envelope sitting on top of his desk. There was no sender written on it, just his name: **OLIVER QUEEN** written in bold, calligraphic letters. Curiously, Oliver picked it up and opened it.

 _Dear Mr. Queen,_

 _The 9th_ _circle is happy to inform you that we would be happy to invite you to continue your parents' legacy as a member of our society. Your later father Mr. Queen and mother Moira were members long before their unfortunate departure from this world. Seeing your recent accomplishments, we are now certain that you are going to be a valuable addition to our community. You may process this invitation for as long as you want. We will be waiting for your answer._

 _The 9th_ _circle._


	36. Celebration night

Chapter 36

It had become terrifyingly familiar to Cisco; reliving the same vibe over and over again. And yet, it didn't change the way it made him feel. The way his spine shuddered, sweat suffocated him and his heart thundered inside his chest ready to explode. Neither of these awful feelings had released him, but on the contrary, were joined by the paralyzing mortification that, despite the fact that he knew how the vibe was going to end –that he knew every little step that led to the grand finale-, despite all that, he couldn't do anything to change the outcome. It was another kind of torture to be able to think: _This is what is going to happen now,_ and the next moment to see it happen, having no control of your own self.

 _He saw as his vision self took a hold of the marker he had left when he was stuck on what he was working on. His body moved on its own towards the board and Cisco wanted to cry. Please, no!, he wanted to scream, to warn himself, as if he made different steps, then he could somehow change what was about to happen. But no, his wails of despair remained firmly inside. In his vision he started writing again, feeling happy for the idea that had suddenly hit him. And then the inevitable happened. The unauthorized breach alarm sounded in the facility and a portal opened behind him. Cisco knew exactly the feeling of the marker falling from his hands and the automatic raise of his hands didn't surprise him. But seeing Gypsy falling so bloody from the breach shouldn't pang a hole in his chest. It really shouldn't, considering how many times he had experienced this particular scene._

 _But a vibe was a vibe, and so Cisco continued watching it unfold, tied up in the invisible ties of his vision body. His mouth opened wide as he screamed for Caitlin, but he didn't hear a sound, his own ears pounding. And Caitlin arrived and they carried Gypsy on the medical bay. Then she reached for his hand and said something to him, all the while Cisco was unable to hear a thing. But it didn't matter, he already knew what the message was about._

Cisco woke up sweaty and screaming once again. He buried his face in his hands as he tried to slow down his heavy breathing. He couldn't ignore the vision anymore. It's been months since he had started seeing them. He had talked to Barry once and the speedster had told him to do what he felt in his heart. Well, there was one thing for sure. This scene was going to play out eventually. But maybe –just maybe- he could prevent it from happening. Seeing the woman he loved in this condition –despite the fact that she had broken his heart in a million pieces- pained him more than he thought was appropriate. He couldn't stay idle, he had to go to Earth-19 and warn Gypsy.

#

Barry let his friends drag him out of the precinct with Singh's expression imprinted in his memory. Joe had an arm around him as they walked. It had surprised him that Joe had agreed without much protest to hang out with his friends –especially considering how much the detective disapproved of the vigilantes and especially Oliver. He guessed that Joe had decided to make an exception tonight as it was Barry's special occasion. He could hear Mon-El gushing about an epic night that hopefully involved a lot of alcohol. It had made Barry frown a little. To be honest he didn't know what to expect for tonight. The bachelor party was left completely in Cisco's hands. He was the best man as he had put it when the shorter man had dismissed Barry's efforts to participate in the planning.

"We're not going to any bars, or strip clubs." Cisco called out, crushing Mon-El's dreams.

Barry relaxed for a moment. He had specifically asked them for no naked girls and was glad that they honored his request. But then...he should expect everything from this gang. The question that remained was where the hell they were going?

Barry was still confused as they reached the hangar. The team only used the facility when they all fought each other for training. It was a wide space, it fit them all and the damages were easier to replace in contrary with STAR labs. Only this time the setting wasn't arranged to accommodate two mixed teams that would fight until exhaustion. Barry took in his surroundings with wide, surprised eyes.

"Welcome to your own geek paradise." Cisco exclaimed loudly.

"What is all this, Cisco?" Joe asked what everyone was thinking.

Cisco turned to face all of them. He joined his hands in front of his chest and grinned wildly. "With marriage comes a new wave of responsibilities and then comes children and you have a brand new box of problems. On top of being a superhero, it's safe to say that you won't have time to enjoy yourself in ways you did before. But, for tonight –or until the party is over- you can bury yourself in the unique, brand new, 3D virtual reality video game. A small, side project of Smoak tech. that Ray and I created. Consider yourselves the beta testers. This beautiful creation will make you fill like you are inside the game, except just playing it." He rumbled with excitement. "So, what do you think?"

Barry was at loss of words. His mouth was slightly open in awe and he was sure that he hadn't blinked for a couple of minutes.

"This is amazing!" he breathed. "I can't believe you did this for me. When did you have the time?"

Cisco puffed proudly his chest. "When you want to, you make time."

Barry just chuckled and hugged his best friend as hard as he could without suffocating him. When he pulled back he was still smiling like a child on Christmas morning. Then he hugged Ray too.

"Thank you both."

"Don't mention it." Ray said while Cisco just dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"So we're just going to play video games all night?" Rene questioned, the disappointment in his voice clearly visible.

"Yes, aren't you supposed to get drunk and do stupid stuff at bachelor parties?" Mon-El echoed Rene's disappointment.

But Cisco had an answer for that too. "Don't you worry. There's an open bar right there. "He pointed with his finger. "I even found some of that alien alcohol you serve in National City. And as for you." Cisco rested his hand on Barry's shoulder. "Caitlin mixed a very special concoction just for you. Once she found out about your little adventure in National City with Kara and Mon-El, she was determined to find a way to get you drunk without the use of alien substances –her words, not mine."

Barry gave him a skeptical look. "Are you sure it will work?"

He had a right to question it. Last time Caitlin thought she had found the means to get Barry drunk it had worked for almost ten seconds and then his body had metabolized it. But Cisco was grinning reassuringly.

"Trust me, it works. Wally was willing to be the test subject."

"Wally!" both he and Joe looked at the younger speedster disapprovingly.

The man just shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "What? College parties suck when you can't get a little drunk."

Joe frowned. "The thought of my kid getting drunk at college parties is upsetting. But I guess that is a discussion for tomorrow. Right now it's Barry's special night. Let's start this party."

Barry turned immediately at Cisco. "Can I try, can I try?" he asked eagerly.

"Bro, I thought you'd never ask."

Immediately, Barry sped off with Wally close on his tail. The two men went into speed mode trying to figure out how to work the new game. Cisco, Ray, Winn and Jax followed them at a normal pace. Joe and the others went to the bar. Oliver said that he would try the game later and Mon-El said that he wanted a few drinks to get started and then he would join as well.

#

In Barry and Iris' loft, the girls were preparing for their own outing. Iris wore a simple red cocktail dress and stood still as Caitlin did her make-up and Sara curled her hair. Honestly, Iris could do all of this by herself, but the ladies didn't want to hear about it. In the kitchen counter, Alex had found a bottle of red wine and she and Dinah had started celebrating already. Iris could hear Kara blowing her nose in the background. The Kryptonian had seen better days, but her cold was much better than it had been. That was the only reason Alex had allowed her to come with them tonight. Felicity and Cecile were conversing quietly by the blonde's side. Unfortunately, Lois had been unable to attend, having a load of work to follow for her newest assignment at the Planet. When Sara and Caitlin were both satisfied the ladies grabbed their purses and headed downstairs to begin their night. Iris had no idea what they had planned. She had only requested they went somewhere low key, without much excitement –for dinner for example.

When they walked outside the building, a limousine waited for them. The bride-to-be narrowed her eyes and looked suspiciously at the women.

"Tell me we are not going to a strip club."

"We are not." Caitlin reassured her.

"But you are only getting married once, so we thought you disserved the grand treatment." Sara continued.

"Well...actually the chances of-" at Caitlin's icy glare, Felicity bit her tongue. "You know what, I'll just shut up."

One by one the women climbed inside the limousine. Kara looked around her with a big smile. "This is sick. I've never been inside a limo before." She grinned happily. "Once I crushed on top of one while I was fighting an alien, but I never had a ride in one."

Iris could hear the distinguished sound of Zatanna's heels approaching. Soon enough, a naked leg entered the limo before Zatanna herself appeared and sat next to Dinah. The Witch was wearing a very tight, very low black dress that made the rest of the girls wonder if it even fit her. But then it was unsurprising for her. Zatanna always wore similar clothes and very high heels. _How can she even walk on those?,_ Iris thought to herself.

"Hey, ladies!" Zatanna cheered loudly. She was clearly in a very good moon. "Let's make this a night we'll never forget." Then she said something in the backward language and a glass of champagne appeared in the hands of everyone.

"Can we even drink these?" Dinah asked wearily.

Zatanna just grinned. "Of course. It's real champagne." She winked at them. "Now, I told the driver to take us a ride through Central City before dropping us off at the restaurant. So let's party!"

"To the lady of the night." Felicity raised her glass.

The rest joined her.

"Cheers Iris. To your big day." Caitlin added.

"Cheers."

"May your life with Barry be as wonderful as the two of you are together." Kara told Iris with a sweet smile.

Iris blushed. "Thank you. All of you."

Alex took Kara's glass before the blonde could bring it to her lips. "Not you yet." She told her sister, who in return pouted, and then turned her attention to Iris. "And don't forget to slow down and appreciate life. It's the little things that are special."

Dinah nodded in agreement. "As fast as Barry is, you two need to slow down every once in a while."

"That's why we have a turtle for a pet." Iris chuckled.

Sara made a weird noise with her throat as she swallowed her champagne. "If she is still marrying him after the speed-sex she's getting, they'll be fine."

Dinah chuckled. "Is it like bam-bam-finished?" she showed with her hands.

"I'll have you know that Barry takes his sweet time. And on the contrary, his powers are the best thing that I've felt."

"Oh, spill, spill." Zatanna urged her eagerly.

Iris blushed deep red and shook her head. "I'd rather not."

"Oh, come on." Sara nagged her. "You've made your bed now. You have to tell us."

#

It's safe to say that all the men were seriously drunk. All except from Joe and Oliver. Joe because he was the designated driver and Oliver because he had a high tolerance for Vodka, after being a member of the Bratva. They had all taken turns playing the game Ray and Cisco had created and in the end, Oliver was the winner, which upset the nerds in the hall. It was why Cisco and Winn were currently sulking and both gave the archer the silent treatment. Barry was another type of drunk. He stumbled from man to man hugging them and expressing how much he loved them. It was an affection that Oliver and Rene didn't feel particularly comfortable with. But given the speedster's current state neither said anything that would upset him and make him wallow like a wounded puppy. Mon-el was speaking in his alien language as if he had suddenly forgotten how to speak English. And Rene was trying to beat Ray at the game. They were both failing because the morons had forgotten that they had paused it and hadn't press start yet. Then suddenly a sob reached their ears. All eyes turned to Barry, who had a sad look on his face and a single tear run down his cheek.

Alerted, Joe got up. "What's wrong, Bar?"

"I just- I just love you all so much." The speedster cried.

Joe sighed. It was going to be a long night.

#

The next day, with all their heads pounding the League, assembled in the cortex to have a very pointed conversation with Killer Frost. Okay, pointed is a little harsh word, but important nonetheless.

"So you are Zatanna." Barry approached the young girl.

She turned surprised to hear his voice. "I am." She offered him her hand.

"I'm Barry." He told her shaking her hand. "I came to the med bay to meet you the other day, but you were passed out cold. Must have been pretty exhausted."

Zatanna's blue eyes sparkled with recognition and she chuckled. "Ah, right, I was. I've heard about you. You are leading this team. They all have said so much about you –all good I promise." She chuckled. "It's good to have you back."

Barry blushed as he retrieved his hand. "Thank you but I-uh, I prefer to think that we all have the same power in the team."

Zatanna eyed him with a look he couldn't decode. "Don't humble yourself, you are more important than you think. All I've been hearing since I came here is how much they all admire you. You brought all these people together for a common goal. It's easy to understand that they all would follow you wherever you go."

Barry's blush deepened and he cleared awkwardly his throat at the loss of words. He was saved from saying anything when Cisco summoned them all to pay attention to Caitlin.

"You're not wearing your necklace." Barry noticed.

Caitlin nodded her head. "Ever since Killer Frost and I came to an understatement I don't feel that I need it. She's not fighting for dominance every single moment.

"Well, are you going to bring her forward now?" Oliver stood with his arms folded in front of his chest. "It's a beautiful day and I promised William that I'd take him to the park."

Caitlin turned to him irritated. "I don't know how this works. I can't just snap my fingers and ma-"

Before the doctor could finish her sentence, her eyes glowed white and her appearance started growing colder. Killer Frost took a look around the gathered room.

" **Well, what do you see? The gang is all here.** "

"Killer Frost." Cisco and Barry acknowledged the icy form of their best friend.

" **I suppose we are here to talk, right?** " Killer Frost said playfully.

"If you are up to it." Sara nodded at her.

Killer Frost raised an eyebrow and then smirked. " **And why wouldn't I?** "

"I don't know." Barry shrugged. "Maybe because from the very first moment you emerged you tried to kill us?!"

Killer Frost glared at him. Her icy blue eyes pierced through him as if they had the power to kill the speedster. " **As I remember correctly, you were the ones who tried to lock me up without reason.** "

"So you're saying that we judged you too soon and you were just responding in kind." It was Cisco who spoke this time.

The rest of the team didn't get involved in the conversation or made an attempt to talk to Killer Frost. This was between the members of team Flash, it didn't require their input. But it was also important that they'd be here to hear the conversation. As members of the League it affected them too.

Killer Frost faced Cisco. " **Exactly. I knew that you would do everything in your powers to bring Caitlin back. And even if I just left, you would still come after me.** "

"So you're saying that you wouldn't have tried to kill as if we had accepted you?" Barry got her attention again.

"Even when Caitlin felt your darkness consuming her?" Cisco added. "She asked me to vibe her. I saw the future that you had joined Savitar and were fighting me."

" **A future that you created. Caitlin was so afraid of becoming me and Barry was terrified of Savitar killing Iris, that you morons took all the wrong steps to make it happen instead of avoiding it.** " Killer Frost snarled irritated.

"So we were wrong." Barry gasped. "We let our fears dictate our lives and made mistakes. But this is on you too. Because when you took control of Caitlin's body you went on a killing spree instead of explaining to us that we were wrong not to trust you."

Killer Frost exhaled angrily. " **It's not my fault.** "

"Oh, come on. In an argument, it's never only one party's fault. Both did something wrong. You can't tell me that you couldn't take two minutes and explain your side to us." Cisco argued. "So where does that leave us? Are you going to join us?"

Killer Frost chuckled humorlessly. " **I'm not begging to be on anyone's team.** "

"We're not asking you to." Barry shook his head. "But maybe this is our chance to start over and do what we should have done over a year ago. I- we are willing, if you are."

Killer Frost eyed them carefully. " **How can I trust you?** " she demanded.

The two men shared a look. Then Cisco shrugged. "We give you our word."

"Let's make a clean start, start over. We'll treat you like we met for the first time." Barry added.

" **I don't know.** " Killer Frost said skeptically.

"Come on, what do you have to lose? Give it a try."

" **I guess, I could.** " She mumbled. " **And I'll be part of the team and everything?** "

"Sure. If you want to of course."

"You don't have to be alone."

" **Alright. I guess we are a team then.** "

#

Oliver was hesitant about his decision. Late at night, he stood right outside of John and Lyla Diggle's household rethinking his whole plan. He shouldn't have come here, shouldn't involve them in this –whatever _this_ was. But he was here now, going back would be a waste of driving time, but... Oliver was so lost debating that he didn't realize that he was standing still for longer than a few moments. Diggle greeted him with an amused raised eyebrow.

"You coming in man or do you prefer standing outside?"

Oliver followed him with a sigh and a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

The TV was playing at a low volume in the living room. It was paying one of those detective tv shows. Lyla was wearing her pajamas curled comfortably on the couch. The television's light shined on her face clearing her features as the woman turned her face to look at him. Upon seeing him, she moved sitting in a normal position.

"Good evening, Lyla." Oliver greeted her.

"Good evening, Oliver. What made you stop by?"

It was a valid question. Despite Oliver's friendship with John, he hadn't been in his house many times.

Oliver hesitated. "I-I wanted to ask you a favor." He admitted finally.

Needless to say that both Lyla and her husband were curious.

"Anything you want man." Diggle replied quickly.

Oliver looked briefly around the room. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"It's fine." Lyla assured him. "I put Jonny to bed about an hour ago. We can talk freely."

With a nod, Oliver took a seat across from Lyla and John joined his wife on the couch. They both waited patiently for Oliver to speak. They wondered what this visit was about. Usually, Oliver didn't like getting assistance or sharing information for that matter. Whatever it was, it clearly put the Green Arrow out of his comfort zone.

"I was wondering if A.R.G.U.S. knows anything about an organization or a group of people calling themselves The 9th Circle."

Digg frowned. "The 9th circle? I don't think I've heard this name before."

Lyla was mirroring his expression. "I haven't either." She said apologetically. "Where did you hear this name?"

Oliver's usually poker face turned uncomfortable –like they both knew it would. A moment later the archer let out a small sigh and looked them straight in their eyes.

"I got a letter yesterday, in the mayor's office, telling me that they wanted me to join them."

Lyla and John shared a brief look. "You think they're dangerous?" Lyla asked.

"I don't know." Oliver admitted. "But I would like to know, so I can take the right precautions."

"Have you told the League?" Diggle asked.

Oliver remained silent and lowered his head just a little. They both knew what that meant. Diggle sighed and shook his head.

"Oliver, you have to tell them, man. Haven't you learned by now that keeping secrets never ends well?" he told him disapprovingly.

Oliver pressed his lips in a thin line, a stubborn expression taking over his features. "It's complicated."

"The hell it is!" John almost shouted. The only reason he didn't was that he didn't want to wake up his son. "You and I both know that this is bullshit. You and Barry and the others created the League so you can fight crime more efficiently. You ought to tell them."

"That's not the reason." Oliver argued.

"It's the basic one, down to its core. If this 9th circle is a threat, then you have to tell them so that you can all prevent it from accelerating to a Damien Darhk of Prometheus fallout."

Oliver shook his head. He listened to John's reason, it was valid, but... "There're a lot of crazy problems we are dealing with right now. We are trying to stop multiple fires at once. If I bring this to them, then I have to be one hundred percent positive that we are dealing with a threat." He explained. "I can't pull their attention away from massive problems that will eliminate the world if not prevented just on a hunch."

John still looked displeased with Oliver's decision, disagreeing that he should tell the League immediately. Before it was too late. From next to him Lyla sighed and rested her hands on her knees.

"Perhaps I could check the files we have on A.R.G.U.S. for any Intel."

Oliver nodded in appreciation. "Check Amanda Waller's personal files too. If anyone has information about it, it's going to be her."

Lyla obviously didn't like this suggestion. She didn't like looking into her former boss's past –it was darker than she was comfortable with. She eyed him disapprovingly.

"Oliver-"

"Just...please."

Lyla finally sighed. "Fine. But regardless if I find anything or not, I agree with John that you should tell your friends."

Oliver nodded. "I'll do it as soon as you give me a call."

#

In a small apartment in the heart of Central City, detective August Heart stayed up late at night. It was dark and the only light was provided by a reading lamp that only lighted the necessary areas. August had his right hand wrapped around a glass with Scotch. It was his third tonight, and although he knew that he had to stop drinking, he found it hard to resist the sweet numbness it gave him. He preferred that from the uselessness he felt. His brother's case stared angrily back at him. Another reminder that he still wasn't anywhere close to finding out who was responsible for his brother's death. August had been secretly working the case since the night it happened. The detectives who had taken over the case in Keystone City had quickly dismissed his brother's death as an accident. But August knew better, his gut was telling him that Jorge was murdered. But unfortunately, since he was close with the victim his former Captain had refused him to take over the case. But that didn't stop him from making his own secret investigation.

Later, once August had run out of leads and ideas, he decided to move to Central City. New environment, crazier town that required better detectives. August really believed that with the pressure of metahumans his mind would sharpen and would be finally able to think out of the box leading him to shine some light on the case. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened yet. August painfully wondered if that was because he was simply not good enough or if he had done the wrong thing moving here. It had been a couple of years since Jorge had passed away...maybe there was nothing to find anymore. At some point, he had considered asking for Joe West's assistant, but August didn't think that his partner would agree with him leading the case. He had even though about bringing Allen in. The kid was a CSI like no one he had ever seen or heard of. But then again Joe and Barry were as thick as thieves, there was nothing the one knew that the other didn't. So August, wanting to keep his investigation hush-hush, hadn't asked him. Much good that it did him.

August lifted his hand to his forehead. He wanted to cry, to scream, to do something...anything at all. Then he felt it. A light buzz on his head coming from his hand. For a moment he thought it was his imagination. He thought that maybe he just too much to drink, but then he hadn't felt alcohol's sweet effect for more than a year. Ever since that lightning storm struck Central City and August could swear that one of those bolts had struck him. However, he had woken up in the middle of the street without a scar on his body except for his burned clothes. The lightning much had struck somewhere near him and had merely knocked him out. He was sure that he would have died if it had hit him. August took a look at his hands. They were buzzing, vibrating.

"What is happening to me?"


	37. The big day

Chapter 37

As soon as the words left Killer Frost's mouth, Barry walked to her side and offered her his hand. "Welcome to the League then, Frost."

Barry ignored her clear dislike of being called just Frost instead of Killer Frost, but the League had a specific no-killing rule, so that part of her name was kind of pointless. Then suddenly, as though he remembered something, Barry frowned and turned to the rest of the team.

"Is that a problem with you guys?"

Kara was shaking her head before the others could respond. "No, Barry. We're happy to have her with us."

"I didn't spend several weeks trying to make her and Caitlin communicate just to see her leave." Sara added.

"So, that's what the two of you had been up to." Cisco realized out loud.

Sara simply raised amusingly an eyebrow at him. Barry searched the faces of his teammates for any sign of disagreement. When he found none he turned to face Frost again.

"I guess this is the perfect timing. Felicity and Winn are about to inform us what they learned about a dangerous alien threat called Worldkillers."

"Threat, yes. Aliens? I don't know if we can call them that." Winn declared. "I think _'experiments'_ or _'beings'_ are more appropriate terms."

With all eyes turned on them, the two IT experts exchanged a look. "You want to tell them?"Felicity gave Winn an opening.

The man, however, shook his head. "Nah, go ahead." He declined.

Felicity frowned uncomfortably and bit her lip before sighing and moving to explain.

"Jor-El kept a log in the crystal, like a diary. He wrote that after the Dominators invaded Krypton that was the first time they realized that there was more alien life in the universe except for Kryptonians and Daxamites. And that those alien species could be dangerous. Despite Krypton and Daxam not seeing eye to eye regarding the politics, they never fought, instead kept their businesses separate." She continued. "But after the invasion, they realized that their army wasn't enough to defend Krypton from alien invaders. So General Zod approached his good friends Jor-El and Zor-El in a partnership to create the ultimate champion for Krypton. A being that would be no match for any enemy that threatened them."

"Were they successful?" Oliver asked.

"More or less." Winn replied this time. "In their efforts to create the perfect weapon, the brothers managed to create the perfect monster of destruction. Jor-El refers to it as Doomsday."

"How does any of that has anything to do with the Worldkillers?" Dinah asked.

"Oh, it does. Trust me, it does."

"Doomsday had a plethora of abilities." Felicity took the word again. "Super strength, super speed, invulnerability, and regeneration. The creature could regenerate from a single atom only."

There was a sharp inhale from around the room.

"The perfect killing machine." Sara's voice was heard above all the loud breaths.

"Exactly!"

"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' coming?" Kara said next.

"There always is." Cisco told her.

There was a heavy silence that agreed with Cisco's statement. Felicity took a look around her and continued.

"But...what neither El had accounted for was the bloodlust. While they had managed to create the perfect killing machine, the creature lacked intelligence and its murderous tendencies made it kill anything in its path whether it was alien or Kryptonian. And on top of that, they hadn't found any way to control it."

Kara took a deep breath and hid her face in her hands. She bit her lip and fought the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. "I can't believe that my father was involved in this." Her voice sounded wounded and small. "I can't believe that he created such a monster."

Alex hugged her sister comfortingly and Kara rested her head on her sister's shoulder.

"The project was called off as a failure and shut down. Jor-El and Zor-El were unable to kill it, but they found a way to keep it sedated. And that was the last time either attempted to create something similar."

" **I still don't see what Doomsday had to do with the Worldkillers.** "

Winn sighed. "Their project wasn't as secret as they thought it was. The research Kara's father and uncle had was stolen by a small group of heretics that worshiped the evil Goddess Cythonna. They believed that Krypton's unstable core was part of an ancient prophecy that said that Rao had failed as a God and Cythonna would save them by reforming Krypton from its asses. Cythonna would bring the Beasts to collect those that were worthy. The diary described the prophecy as an equivalent of what Christians call the second coming. The end of the world."

"So these worshipers created the Beasts, working around the failed Doomsday project and created the Worldkillers, in the name of Cythonna. Beings that, unlike Doomsday, had a conscience and could be talked to, but had the same destructive tendencies as the original."

Kara's face had become a little green at this point. "This is making me sick."

Felicity spared a sad look at her friend. "By the time anyone realized what the cult was doing it was too late. Krypton was about to explode. Jor-El's last words before he died in the explosion was that he saw another pod leaving Krypton after Kal-El and Kara."

"And that's all we could find." Winn continued. "Felicity and I tried to track any signatures similar to those Kara and Clark's pods emanate, but we were out of luck."

"Maybe the pod got stuck in the Phantom zone like Kara's did." Alex offered, not sounding as hopeful as she wanted.

"I highly doubt that." Barry shook his head. "My future self wouldn't warn me if that was the case."

"Then someone has already found the pod." Oliver agreed.

"I think I have an idea who that is." Kara said strongly.

"The Government? The army? Maybe even A.R.G.U.S.?" Rene suggested, but Kara shook her head.

"The only family that is obsessed with Kryptonians is the Luthors. If the pod arrived on Earth, they have it. I have to go back to National City."

"What are you going to do there?" Barry asked confused.

"I have to speak to Lena. She is the only one who can find Lex's or Lillian's secret facilities."

Barry nodded slowly. "Okay, go. Try to find whatever you can. In the meantime, we need to search for those New Gods. Someone said that you, Zatanna, might be able to help. Do you know any tracking spells or something like that?"

Zatanna had a thoughtful frown on her face, as she stood with her arms crossed. "This type of magic is very powerful and specific. Any simple tracking spell won't work." She said sadly. "I'll have to look through my father's book of Shadows."

"For real?" Cisco squealed. "The book of Shadows is a thing? I thought it was just made up for the Charmed show."

" **You watched Charmed?** " Frost laughed.

Cisco gasped at her. "Caitlin loved it as much as I did."

"Zatanna please do. I appreciate it." Barry interfered before the conversation dragged out.

"And Winn and I can look further into the information from the crystal. I mean, now that we have access to all of its information it wouldn't be a problem."

Barry gave Felicity a quick nod. "Okay. But when you're done, we have to get the crystal back to the Fortress. Having this much important information laying out here seems dangerous."

It was agreed. Winn and Felicity went to have a quick break before getting back to work, Kara left to fly to National City and Zatanna to get her father's magic book. Oliver followed them to spend the rest of his day with William and the rest traveled through the portal back to their cities. Soon, the only people remaining in the Cortex were Barry, Cisco and Frost. The speedster turned to her.

"So, what did you think of your first meeting?"

" **We're in over our heads.** " She told him coldly, but the truth, however. " **But if we're facing the end of the world, I guess we can give it our best effort to save it.** "

"Hey, Barry, can I talk to you for a second?"

Frost raised an eyebrow at Cisco. " **What, you don't trust me yet, Vibe?** " she said sarcastically.

If her tone affected Cisco, he didn't show it. "Fine, you can listen. I decided to do something about the vibe I keep seeing."

Barry made a pained expression at his friend. "They haven't gotten better?"

Cisco just shook his head. "Not at all. On the contrary, they've gotten worse and more frequent. So, after your wedding, I'm going to go to Earth-19 to warn Gypsy."

Barry set a comforting hand on his shoulder. "If that's what you want to do, then I say go for it."

Cisco nodded as a thanks for his friend's support. Frost yawned gaining both men's attention.

" **All this boring talk made me tired. I guess I'll go to sleep now. See ya.** " And then her eyes lost their low and soon enough Caitlin's warm form stood beside them. The woman looked around her confused. "Where did everybody go?"

Barry chuckled. "Come on. We'll fill you in on what you missed."

#

Lillian Luthor fidgeted with her handcuffs, they annoyed her. She had been surprised when the guards came to take her because she had a visitor. No one came to visit Lillian in prison. She didn't know who she hoped it was. Lena most likely, and that was only because she wanted to know something. However, when she saw the person that waited for her she had to admit that it was a surprise even for her.

"Senator Domini. What a surprise."

The man turned at the sound of her voice. He eyed her with sharp eyes and inferior arrogance. "Lillian Luthor, we haven't had the pleasure of meeting in person."

Lillian scoffed at him. She didn't have the appetite for meaningless small talk. Prison had left her without pleasantries.

"Your visit isn't random. What do you want from me?" she demanded.

But Domini didn't lose his annoying aura, instead, he chuckled getting more on Lillian's nerves. "It's more like what I can do for you. How we can help each other."

"What do you mean?" the woman eyed him suspiciously.

Domini chuckled again. "You are a brilliant woman, Lillian. You have accomplished more than any man could dream off. You have a vision of the future and a strategy."

"Where are you going with this?" she interrupted him. "You can leave the pleasantries. I'm not interested in fuelling my ego. I know exactly what I'm capable of."

Domini nodded, deciding to respect her wishes. "Your capture by the League has ruined your financials. All your bank accounts have been frozen or transferred to your daughter and all your operations have been shut down. But I'm certain that you have more secret projects going around."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I'm not stupid, Lillian." Domini continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "I can help you cover whatever financial requirement your project needs. I don't know if you've heard but I'm a member of a very elite group of people that are very interested in what you are planning on accomplishing."

Lillian didn't say anything for a few moments. The only thing that had changed was that now she was staring at Senator Domini with interest. She was intrigued.

"I've heard rumors." She said finally licking her lips. "And I assumed at some point that you people were real. I just never imagined that one of you would come knocking at my door." Her wide eyes pierced the Senator as she analyzed him and for a pregnant moment neither said a word. "Before this...before prison, before I was bank robbed of my fortune I would have sent you back where you came from."

"And now?" he asked amused.

"Now I need you." She admitted. "Shall we make a deal?"

Domini smirked. "The deal is simple. We are going to give you all the money you need to complete your project and you'll...just make sure that it's done properly."

"And you're getting me out of prison."

"Of course."

#

Kara was overwhelmed with questions as she flew in the clear blue sky reaching for National City. They fought inside her head the one trying to top the other, but only managing to create a blank confusion. The only thing that remained was Kara's anger. Why couldn't the Luthor's leave her people alone? Why did they have to always mingle in Kryptonian affairs like they had the right to do so? It confused her, angered and frustrated her all at the same time. It was, however, a reality that she had come to accept over the years. Thank Rao that Lena wasn't like the rest of her family. Raised by parents who build themselves by using and destroying others and her brother eventually going mad, it was a wonder how the woman had not ended up like them. She had always admired Lena for that and for the strength she showed when everyone kept expecting her to snap and become the next Lex. Kara wasn't sure if she had told her that enough times. The truth was, when she felt weak, when she doubted herself and thought that the world was out to get her, Kara would remember Lena's strength and would pull a little to herself. She and Alex were the strongest people she knew.

The balcony door was open at Lena's office, so Kara flew quietly inside and landed gracefully on her feet. Lena was consumed in her work so she got startled upon seeing Supergirl inside her office.

"God! You scared me Supergirl."

Kara gave her friend an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Lena. I didn't mean to startle you."

Lena just chuckled and waved her hand getting away from what she was working on. "That's fine. I was too consumed with my work, I even forgot to eat lunch. I need a break anyway." She told her. "So, I'm assuming you being here...there's something that you need. Or did you get bored hanging out with your superhero friends and decided to come by and say hi?" she joked.

Kara chuckled trying not to snort and she fought the urge to lift her hand to push the glasses she wasn't wearing. It was a nervous tick of hers in her time on Earth. But right now she wasn't Kara Danvers or Kara Zor-El, but Supergirl. And Supergirl didn't have nervous ticks or showed anything but strength of knowing who she really was.

That was all Lena needed to understand the answer.

Kara took a few steps in Lena's office. Her red cape followed her around quietly, as if to provide reassurance that she wasn't alone. The hero turned her face away to bite her lip and then turned to face the other woman.

"There's no easy way to say this, Lena." She started.

Lena groaned interrupting whatever Supergirl was about to say. "What has my mother done again? Or was it Lex? I swear even from prison they find ways to mess with people."

Lena wasn't angry exactly, more disappointed and tired of being in the middle of her family's bad name. It was a concept that she, as Kara Danvers understood being her friend and all. Lena was more than vocal about how she felt about the rest of the Luthor family when they were hanging out. Kara decided to not dance around the problem anymore. She had come here to ask for her help and quite frankly, Lena needed to know what her mother or brother was up to.

"The League and I have come across information that another Kryptonian pod arrived with Superman and me. And we have been unable to find a trace of it anywhere."

"I see." Lena mumbled skeptically. "So you believe that my family has this pod."

It wasn't a question. The hard look in Lena's eyes was hard to miss even if Kara wasn't looking at her. Kara nodded quietly before continuing.

"This particular pod contains deadly, failed experiments that Kryptonians created in order to defend the planet from alien invasion. If Lex or your mother has them and manage to free them from stasis, then I'm afraid they will only accomplish to unleash unstoppable killing machines on Earth –far worse than me and my cousin."

Lena was quiet, playing with a pen in her hands. "Unstoppable killing machines." She chuckled.

Kara couldn't miss the bitter taste that her words were spoken with. Lena looked up to Kara, her expression hard as ever but understanding too.

"I don't know if my family has that pod, Supergirl. But it's certainly something I could expect them to be mixed up in."

Kara didn't say anything, didn't respond, she wasn't sure if Lena expected her to. She just waited patiently for the other woman.

"I can look into it. It might take a while, though. Their secret labs are hard to find and if this is as dangerous as you say, then it'll be even harder."

"I'm just really glad that you are offering to help, Lena."

The other woman shrugged. "If my family is involved then I have to. I'll send word for you with Kara Danvers when I have something."

Kara nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Lena."

And then she flew away.

#

It had been a strange couple of days. Even for Barry. The closer they got to his and Iris' wedding, the stranger his friends were acting, leaving at spontaneous moments with lame excuses or nothing at all. But the hectic pressure of the wedding had kept the man from reading much into it. Otherwise, he would have the time to wonder why his friends were acting out.

Of course, it had all been Cisco's plan. In order to make sure that nothing would disturb the Flash's special moment, the League had gone overboard working overtime to catch anyone who might be a threat. Felicity and Winn had created an algorithm for locating potential criminal activity and Vibe had gone all the way to vibe possible threats. They were catching criminals at an amazing rate. Yet Cisco still couldn't see anyone ruining the ceremony. That, however, didn't stop him from vibing again and again.

Barry was pacing nervously inside the church. Cisco and Oliver had tried to calm him down, but the man was a wreck.

"You have nothing to worry about, Barry." Oliver told him for the millionth time. "Iris will show up. If there's anyone of us that is getting married for sure, it's you and her. You were made for each other."

"No, I know that." The groom shook his head. "It's just unavoidable nerves, I guess."

Iris was not nervous at all. A dozen butterflies were dancing in her stomach, but that was due to her excitement. She was finally getting married to the love of her life. How could she not be excited? Iris admired her wedding dress in the mirror. Mari had done an absolutely amazing job with the design. The two women only had to meet once and after that Mari had known exactly what would blow Iris' mind. She was glad that Barry had such amazing friends that were willing to help him any way he needed. Suddenly, the urge to cry overwhelmed her. Iris fought back the tears. She didn't want to ruin her makeup or have bloodshot eyes when she met with Barry at the altar.

"Hey, are you okay?" Cecile was suddenly by her side resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Iris watched her from the mirror and gave her a little smile. "Yes, I'm fine. I just realized that this is happening, you know. I'm just really happy."

Cecile smiled understanding. "I know. I remember what it was like when I married my late husband." She rubbed her hands soothingly on her shoulders. "Now come on, smile and no tears. We wouldn't want Barry to think that you are upset."

Iris chuckled. "No."

"Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, thank you, Cecile." Iris gave her a real big smile.

"Okay, then the girls and I are going to go to the church now. Don't be too long or the groom might think you changed your mind and aren't coming." She teased making the bride laugh again.

Barry had given up pacing because he was afraid he would start speed walking and that wouldn't be good. Instead, he had joined in conversations with a few of the guests that had arrived, Captain Singh included and some other police officers and distant relatives of the Wests. The bride's side was pretty much filled by now. Barry saw Oliver and Cisco discussing something with small voices and decided to go join them since the two of them seem to have some kind of secret they didn't want him to know. Just as he reached them the church door opened and a bunch of superheroes entered. Sara, Alex, Mon-El, Jax and Professor Stein were the first, followed by Dinah, Rene, Diggle and Lyla, J'onn, Winn, Zatanna, James Olsen, Mari, Ray Palmer and Jessie from Earth-2 with her father Harry. They all walked like a parade and sat on Barry's side of the church. The speedster couldn't help the big, bright smile that rose to his face. He saw Lois walking down the aisle too and joined Alex and Sara in a conversation. From the corner of his eye, he saw his father's doppelganger, Jay Garrick, sitting in the back trying not to draw attention to himself. Barry found himself smiling again. This day was perfect.

Then the music started.

Cisco, Oliver and Wally joined him at the altar, all with smiles on their faces. Then the bridesmaids walked in. Kara was first, then Felicity and finally Caitlin. They were all beautiful, wearing nice pink dressed and their hair curled perfectly.

Kara being her kind, sweet self, boarded her deep blue eyes to Barry and gave him a happy, sweet and proud smile. The Kryptonian couldn't possibly express how excited and happy she felt for her super friend at this moment. Watching Barry and Iris' love for each other was more than just inspiring for her. On Krypton she believed that her parents were truly in love despite the arranged marriage. But the way these two cared, respected and cherished one another was something that was foreign to the Kryptonians and something she wished for herself to find too. She and Mon-El had a great love for each other, but they were still far from being Barry and Iris. It was a love that went deeper than just Eros, unique among humankind, but inspiring. Being surrounded by their love, gave Kars hope that she could find that too – in time.

Felicity turned her gaze from the colorful bouquet in her hands to Oliver. He looked very handsome in his tuxedo – not that she had any doubt that he would. She had seen him wear one at their fake wedding. They had a bad timing the two of them. She wondered, as she looked at Barry beaming like he was the Sun of his own solar system, if she and Oliver could have their happy ending too. She wondered if she had made a mistake back then when she had called off the engagement. The only thing that had prevented her from going on with the wedding was her anger at him from keeping secrets from her. But who didn't? Perhaps she had overreacted when she found out about William. She would never know now though. Perhaps in the future, in the far future when she wouldn't be afraid anymore of their bad luck. Maybe it was foolish of her to think that, but then again, she had been paralyzed and he had been shot with arrows. But maybe...

Caitlin had feared that standing on the altar would bring her terrifying memories of Ronnie's multiple deaths. That she wouldn't be able to handle the pain and that she would end up ruining her best friend's wedding day. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. The look on Barry's face only brought her joy and her heart fluttered at the happiness that radiated off of him and surrounded all of them. It was contagious being this happy. Next to him, Cisco was grinning like a full and she had no doubt that she had the same silly smile on her face. Oliver had more control over his emotions, but he still looked happier that the young doctor had seen the brooding man be. And on the next step, Wally looked proud to be here. Caitlin wasn't sure what he was proud of. His sister getting married to the best man they both knew? Or for standing up for Barry? Perhaps it was both.

The doors of the church opened wide and Barry sucked in a breath. Iris and Joe entered the room and the music started playing. Barry was speechless. _This is happening! I'm marrying Iris!_ He admired her as she walked closer to him. She was _so_ beautiful! Every nervousness he had disappeared as he took in the bright smile and happy gleam on her face. Barry didn't care if he looked like a fool staring at her like that. He could finally breathe. _It's happening!,_ it was all he could think of.

Iris had a similar thought as her father led her down the aisle. Her mind was not at the guests that had come for her, but she felt relieved and glad at the many people who had sit at Barry's side of the church. Across cities and the multiverse, they had come for him. She felt like crying, he wasn't alone, he had a family – that was her biggest fear. Iris gave Lois a small smile as she walked by her, glad that she had chosen to sit on her soon-to-be –husband side. And then she was next to him. Joe kissed her cheek lovingly and then hugged Barry and kissed him too.

"I wish your parents were here to see this." Joe whispered to him.

But Barry just gave him a smile. "They are."

Neither she nor Barry heard the priest's speech. They were too busy staring lovingly at each other until it was time for their vows.

"Iris, ever since I was eleven, all I could feel was how unfair and cruel and painful this world can be. Many would have given in on the darkness deciding to let it in or they would have stopped fighting. My life is like a rollercoaster, it keeps changing up and down and sometimes even further. But through all of it, I had you by my side. Your love, your strength, your loyalty, your light, they give me all the strength that I need to keep fighting, to keep going, to be a better man. You are the one that makes me strong and the man I am today. You are the light that I need to keep my world from going dark. You are the best thing that happened to me. I've loved you since we were ten and I'll keep loving you forever."

As he finished his vow they both breathed fighting the tears that threatened to spill. Happy tears full of love.

"My father always said that I was strong and brave." She started with a shaking voice. "But all of that comes from being near you. Being able to be your friend, to love you, to be in your company. All of that makes me feel safe and strong and brave and without you, I'm just a fragile girl. Someone said that the bravest amongst us are those with the biggest hearts because they have the ability to love unconditionally. And your heart, Barry, your heart is the biggest one. Your big heart and your love are infectious to everyone that knows you. And everyone in here can vouch for that." She chuckled and the rest of the guests echoed that. "You are the best man that I know. The most gentle, the most caring and brave and strong and I am honored to be your wife."

"Bartholomew Henry Allen, do you take Iris Ann west to be your lawfully wedded wife, to hold and cherish for better or for worse, in sickness and in health until death do you part?"

"I do."

"And do you Iris, take this man as your husband?"

"I do."

"Then, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

And Barry did. He kissed Iris long and passionate like they were the only two people in the world.

#

The hall for the after party was filled with chatter. People in groups enjoyed themselves having conversations and dancing to the music. The caters moved around serving glasses of champagne. Stein was talking with his wife and daughter and Jax rolled his eyes at her older man. Captain Singh was with Joe and Cecile and their other guests moved from one person to the other. Barry and Iris didn't dance much as many people came to congratulate them.

"I always knew the two of you would end up together." One of Iris' aunts had told them with a wink.

They had both laughed and thanked her.

Kara and Mon-El were dancing a slow song on the dance floor. Their smiles were matching as they circled around.

"They look so happy." Kara mumbled looking at the newlyweds.

"They are." Mon-El agreed. "I'm glad I got to see it. It was a beautiful ceremony."

Kara nodded. "It was. I'm glad nothing happened to ruin it for them."

"That's why we all worked so hard these past few days." He pointed out. Kara chuckled at his words. "But yes, I'm glad it all went smoothly too."

On the other side of the room, Oliver approached Felicity and kissed her head wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Here." He said giving her the champagne he got from the bar.

Felicity accepted it gratefully and brought it to her lips. "This is a beautiful night. It's a change from all the criminal hunting we've been doing."

"I know." Oliver hummed. "I really think we needed it. Especially those two." He nodded his head towards the pair.

"Their vows were so beautiful and moving."

"Well, they are Barry and Iris, no one can top them especially us."

Felicity laughed at him. "You are right, we needed this."

"Perhaps we should do this more often. Maybe we could." Oliver said suddenly.

Felicity spun around and looked at him with widened eyes. "Oliver, are you asking me to marry you?" she sounded almost frightened.

But he shook his head. "No, I wouldn't ask you without a ring or a perfect set up and especially not on our friends' wedding day. Barry would run me to the North pole before I could finish the sentence." He joked. " I'm just saying sometime in the future, maybe we would consider this."

Felicity visibly relaxed. Then she sighed. "Maybe." She smiled.

Barry saw Cisco approaching them with a worried look on his face. _Oh,no!,_ he thought, knowing that his friend was coming to inform him about trouble.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"There's a breach at STAR labs." Cisco said urgently.

"We need to go." he heard Sara say.

Barry looked around and found every League member surrounding them. When had they come so close? Dinah answered his question when she said: "We got the alert on our phones, we need to go now."

"We can't all just go, it'll look suspicious." Barry argued.

"He's right." Alex agreed.

"I'll go with Wally to check it. If we need back up, Cisco can breach you in."

Oliver nodded at Barry. "We'll listen in from the coms."

Barry looked confused at everyone. "Wait, you guys wear coms?"

"Of course." Cisco said like it was obvious. "We thought that the Flash getting married would attract supervillains."

But Barry didn't have the time to converse more about it. He and Wally walked fast to the bathroom, phased through the wall and then run to the lab.

The breach room was dark, but it was clear that there was someone inside. Having changed into their costumes both speedsters entered the room gaining the intruder's attention. What they saw left them speechless. In front of them stood a boy that wore what was without question a speedster's suit. Made of white and red colors, the lightning bolt on his chest gave it all away. More important, it was the way that the boy looked. Both speedsters blinked. The new speedster looked exactly like Barry.

"I made it!" the boy cheered excitedly. "Oh, crush, you both look so young."

Traveler from the future Barry and Wally concluded. The Flash hesitated but took a few steps closer.

"Who are you?" he asked trying not to show any emotion that would betray how confused he was.

The young speedster grinned and announced. "I am Bart Allen, a.k.a. Impulse and I'm your grandson!"


	38. Time traveler

Chapter 38

"He's your grandson." Oliver said staring deadpan at Barry.

The speedster sighed, his hands resting on his hips. "That's what he said."

"He is obviously lying."

"Oh, really?" Cisco snorted. "Where did you get that idea? From the fact that the kid looks like he is Barry junior?" he asked sarcastically.

"He is from the future. He could be a mind-controlled clone for all we know." Oliver argued starting to get frustrated.

"Or he could be his actual grandson." Jax reasoned before Cisco could explode.

"He can't be a clone." Caitlin agreed. "Bart looks very much like Barry but he is not an exact copy."

All eyes turned to the screen that showed Bart Allen sitting in the pipeline cell looking bored out of his mind. Barry knew first hand what being locked in there was like. Especially for speedsters.

The party was over pretty much after they had heard Bart introduce himself. Iris had come up with a lame excuse that Barry had gotten sick and she needed to go to him. And with the bride and groom not being there the party was over and the rest of the guests had left early. The remaining League had rushed to STAR labs where they found Barry pacing shocked and Bart locked in the pipeline.

"We can run a DNA test to verify that he's telling the truth." Alex suggested.

"How did you get him in there in the first place?" Kara asked still looking at the young speedster. She wondered how dangerous he could be. Bart looked like he was twelve years old, fifteen tops.

Barry sighed. "Surprisingly, he locked himself in there. He said that he was warned that we would not trust him and he wanted to cooperate until we concluded that he is telling the truth. Also," he produced a tube and gave it to Caitlin. "He spat in there so we can run tests."

Cisco turned his eyes on Oliver and glared at him. "Still think he's lying?"

"He could be." The archer insisted.

"Come on Oliver, he's just a kid." Kara tried to reason with him.

Oliver huffed and folded his arms. "Okay, fine." He said finally. "Let's say that he is Barry's grandson. We still need to know why he's here."

"Which is why I'm going to talk to him – alone." Barry said.

"He probably time traveled by accident." Jax suggested. "He's so young, he's probably still learning his abilities."

"I don't think so." Barry shook his head. "Every time I have accidentally time jumped it was always one day in the past, not decades."

"Which brings me to my point." Oliver said again. "We should bring him in here and get him to talk."

Barry looked deadpan at his friend. "I'm not going to do that. I'm going to go down there with Iris and we're going to talk to him."

Oliver took a step towards the speedster. "This affects us too. We need to be in the room."

"If I bring Bart here, with all of you guys staring at him like he is a criminal, he'll think that we're interrogating him." The other man raised his voice and pierced his green eyes at Oliver daring him to object.

And Oliver did, refusing to back down. "We are."

That was the last straw for Barry. His nose flattered with anger and his face turned red. "Is this how you would have treated him if he was your son?" he accused.

"He is not my-"

Before the two of them could get into a fist fight Kara and Cisco got between them.

"Guys, stop!" Kara ordered. "Oliver you are being unreasonable. He is just a kid."

"So?"

"So?" she scoffed. "Barry and Iris are going to talk to Bart and _we_ are going to stay here."

She looked between the two of them to see if she had made herself clear. Barry visibly relaxed and nodded gratefully at her. _Thank you!,_ he formed with his lips. Kara smiled and nodded. Then Barry sped away.

"Caitlin, can you run the DNA test please?"

The doctor nodded at her. "I'll get right to it."

#

Barry found Iris walking from the locker room after having changed into normal, comfortable clothes. He sighed, closing his eyes for a second and reached out to get her into a hug. Iris melted into him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Barry rested his chin on top of her head and sighed again.

"Iris, I'm so sorry for tonight. You didn't even get to enjoy your dress. You looked more beautiful than ever by the way."

Iris chuckled a little. "I know, you told me like a million times."

"Make it one million and one then." He said playfully.

Iris chuckled again. "You are wrong, you have nothing to be sorry for." She raised her head and looked at him. "And I did enjoy my dress, Mari is an amazing designer. But, it had started to itch, so..."

Barry made a funny sound with his throat and hummed. "I see."

"So, what's the verdict? What did the team decide to do about our...grandson?"

"It's weird isn't it?" he asked making a weird expression.

"So weird." She admitted.

Barry giggled. "I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks so." He chuckled again when Iris punched him playfully on the arm. "Come on, let's go meet him." He said and pushed her towards the pipeline.

They were almost there when Iris exhaled a big breath and pushed her lips. "I can't believe I'm meeting my grandson before my children."

"I know, right." Barry agreed. "Caitlin is doing a DNA test just in case, but I believe that Bart is telling the truth."

They stopped and looked at each other for a moment and then nodded. They both knew it in their guts. That kid was their family. Neither could explain how that feeling was there. It was just...instinct they guessed. Reaching the pipeline Barry put his palm on the scan and opened the cell letting the young speedster out. Bart perked up surprised and excited. He saw both Barry and Iris waiting for him to come out of the cell and Bart didn't waste any time. He sped right to Iris and hugged her tightly.

"Grandma, Iris!" he exclaimed loudly.

Iris looked startled at her husband, her arms staying in the air from the initial sock. Then she slowly put them around the little kid and pat his back.

"Hello, there...Bart, right?" she said carefully.

The little brunet looked up and grinned so big that Iris could count all his teeth. "That's right. Bartholomew Allen, just like gramps. I know you haven't met me yet, but I'm so glad to see you, grandma. I love you so much." Bart said very fast and then sped to Barry and gave him the same treatment. "And you too, gramps. Oh, speedforce, it's so crush to be able to hug you without fearing I might break your bones."

Barry looked at Bart, who was grinning at him, and he was only able to blink at the loss of words. He looked at his wife for help, but Iris was in a similar state. Bart continued talking.

"So, you let me out, so aunt Cait did the DNA test and told you we are related."

Barry licked his lips and put his hand on Bart's shoulder distancing himself. "Uh, not exactly. The test isn't done yet." He said slowly.

Bart didn't seem to be affected. He just grinned. Actually, he had never stopped.

"Let's go to the speed lab so we can talk."

"Sure thing gramps."

Barry made a face at that. "Can you not call me that? I just got married. We don't even have kids yet."

"And what should I call you?"

"I don't know. Barry?" he suggested.

Bart looked at him confused. "But that's weird. You're my grandpa."

Barry sighed as the three of them entered the speed lab. "How about we figure it out later, okay? You have some explaining to do."

The kid from the future looked like he was caught for a moment, but he masked his expression quickly. After they settled inside the speed lab, Barry and Iris waited for Bart to explain what he was doing years away from his timeline.

Bart looked around and grinned amused. "Is this where you and uncle Wally used to train? This place is so crush."

"We don't have the speed lab in the future?" Barry frowned.

Bart stared blankly at his grandfather for a moment and then slowly shook his head. He didn't know how much he could tell them without messing with the timeline. It was a constant lecture he had gotten from all the members of his family.

Iris cleared her throat. "So, Bart, how did you come here?"

The boy looked at her and answered. "My cousin helped me. I've never traveled through time before so I needed some help. Actually, I'm surprised it worked. I mostly expected it to go wrong. But I'm glad it didn't. The speedforce only knows when in time I could have ended up."

"Bart," Barry got his attention. "Has no one in the future explain to you the risks of time travel?" he asked as softly as he could.

"They have." Bart nodded. "Repeatedly."

"Then why did you choose to do it?"

Bart looked sad for a moment, but he grinned again. "It was your idea, gram- Barry." He explained. "You said it was the only way to help me."

Barry and Iris exchanged looks. Suddenly, they were both afraid of what might have happened in the future that Bart came from.

"The only way to help you with what?" Iris asked this time.

Bart frowned and looked uncomfortable between the two. "I don't know if I can tell you that without crashing the time stream. And that would _so_ not be crush."

Barry sighed understanding where the kid was coming from. "I know what the risks are. But we need to know."

The boy looked down and sighed. For the first time since he got here his smile flattered. Finally, his shoulders fell and he raised his head to look at this younger version of his grandfather.

"I was born with accelerated aging disorder. Dad, mom, aunt Cait and aunt Alex did everything they could to cure me. Every other speedster had been born normal, so they didn't know what to look for or what to expect. Uncle Wally got every scientist that specialized in speedsters to help, but no one knew how." He explained.

Barry and Iris listened to him in horror. Iris wanted to cry. She couldn't imagine what this kid was going through or his family in the future. She wrapped her arms around the small speedster and willed her tears not to fall. Barry felt his gut twist unpleasantly. He watched Bart with sad eyes not knowing what to say or do to comfort him.

"What did I do?" he asked with a deep voice.

Bart looked at him with an expression he couldn't understand. He debated whether to reveal this information. "When I was born you were still missing." He said with a sigh. "You only came back a few years later. I remember everyone was so ecstatic to see you. And I didn't know why they were so happy to see a stranger. But then dad told me that you were my grandpa Barry." Bart smiled at the memory.

"I was still missing since 2024?" Barry asked trying not to show how much Bart's words affected him.

Bart nodded sadly. "Yes, but everyone told me stories of you all the time. I admired you so much, even though I had never met you."

Barry watched as a single tear run down Iris' cheek and he tried really hard not to let his fall. Instead, he covered his mouth with his palm. How many years had he been missing? How many years his loved ones had suffered not knowing when or if they would see him again? The thought killed him silently. Was that his legacy? Was that the price of being a hero?

"What happened after that?" Iris asked with a small voice.

Bart swallowed and then looked at Barry and smiled. "You had a theory. That I needed to do what speedsters did. Run. I was aging too fast, so you said that a trip through time –to the past- would shock my system and stop the rapid aging."

"We need to have Caitlin run some test. To know if it worked." Barry said immediately.

Bart agreed with a nod, but before either could get up Iris stopped them.

"Bart, how old are you?"

The speedster from the future stared at her. "My cells say that I am fifteen. But I was born eight years ago."

Eight years.

A kid was trapped in a teenager's body. God, why did he had to go through that? Why were their lives so troubled?

#

"Bart is who he says he is." They heard Caitlin say as the three Allens walked into the cortex. "The DNA analysis suggests that he is related to both Barry and Iris."

With his hands on his hips, Barry looked around the room. His friends had sad expressions on their faces and some couldn't look him straight in the eyes.

"I suppose you all heard the conversation." He stated quietly.

Some nodded and others hummed in agreement.

"Barry, I'm very sorry." Oliver's voice matched his own.

"What is going to happen in the future... It's terrible." Kara said with sorrow. She couldn't comprehend what it must feel like to know that you are going to disappear at some point leaving everyone you know behind and not knowing what led to that. The burden of the knowledge was heavy. Kara didn't know what she would do if she was the one in Barry's position. Or Iris' for that matter.

Barry sighed and shrugged like it didn't affect him. He knew from the newspaper article that it was meant to happen. He just didn't know if he would ever make it back to his loved ones.

"Well, we can't do anything about that." He said strongly. "But what we can do is see if Bart's accelerating aging has stopped."

Caitlin, who hadn't been listening while she was working, jumped when she realized what they were talking about. "I'll need a blood sample." Her voice didn't hide how shaken she was.

Suddenly, Ray narrowed his eyes as he watched the boy. "Are you okay Bart?"

Only then did Barry register the slight shaking by his side. He turned to look at Bart only to find the young speedster vibrating uncontrollably. He immediately realized the feeling Bart radiated from his vibrations. It was excitement. He saw as Bart's eyes wonder with astonishment at each of his friends. His familiar green eyes were wide and gave away everything. Then, an invisible shockwave, that only speedsters could feel, was released. Barry knew exactly what that was. Bart had gotten into speed mode. Bart didn't realize what had happened as he ran around the room.

" _OMG! You-are-the-Green-Arrow. And-you-are-Supergirl. And-Firestorm. And-the-Atom, White-Canary. Uncle-Wally-you-are-so-young. And-"_

Before Bart could go on, Barry sped up to him moving at the same speed as him. He caught the speedster by the shoulders and turned him to look at him. "Bart, you need to slow down." He told him calmly.

" _Why-is-everyone-frozen?"_ the boy asked looking around at the unmoving people.

"You are into speed mode." He explained. "Your mind is moving too fast and is making your body follow. You need to slow down."

Bart looked frightened at the older speedster. _"How grandpa Barry?"_

Barry exchanged a look with Wally, who stared uncomfortably at Bart with wide eyes. "You –um-" he mumbled as he thought. "You just- you- Okay, okay, here. Make a fist." He showed him and Bart followed his example. "And now count one finger at a time. Let's do it together. One." He released one finger. Bart counted too, focused on his own hand. "Two. Three." Bart felt himself relaxing as they both counted. "Four. Five."

They stood in the middle of the cortex as Bart regained control and slowed down. All eyes were on them watching Barry having a comforting hand on the younger speedster's shoulder and his entire attention focused on him.

"What the hell just happened?" it was Dinah who spoke for everyone.

Barry sighed and hugged Bart before releasing him and smiled. "Nothing, he just lost control of his powers for a moment. But he'll learn how to."

Bart hugged his grandfather. "Thanks, gramps." He said fully aware of Barry's frown at the name.

The entire room chuckled. Caitlin took a few steps towards them and offered her hand. "Come on, Bart. Let's see if you're cured."

The boy took eagerly the doctor's hand and followed her to the med bay.

"I'll come too." Iris announced walking away.

Seeing that the time-traveler-from-the-future problem had been resolved for the time being the team decided to dismantle. Jax, Wally and Zatanna decided to grab a beer together in a bar downtown. Sara and Alex headed for the training room making bets about which woman will win on the way. Felicity left with Rene and Dinah to go back to Star City. Apparently, Digg was going after a dangerous group of criminals and he needed back up. As for Ray, he said he wanted to catch up on some of his work at Smoak Technologies. Secretly, he just wanted to check his Tinder profile. Watching Barry and Iris getting married sparked his interest in starting dating again. And Stein...he just wanted to see his wife. The only people who still remained in the cortex with Barry, as he waited for Bart's results, were Oliver, Cisco and Kara.

"So, are you flying to Bali or are you going to sweep Iris off her feet and run her to your honeymoon?" Oliver joked lightly.

"I don't think we're going anymore." Barry replied with a non-humorous chuckle. "I mean with Bart being here and all."

"Don't say that, Barry." Kara objected softly. "You should go. Nothing is urgent here."

"Yeah, man." Cisco agreed. "You guys deserve it. And we can totally take care of Bart while you're away. And by 'we' I mean Joe."

Barry shook his head. "He's my grandson. From the future. I can't leave." He tried to reason.

"Barry!" Oliver stared at the speedster with a look that made him feel like he was back in high school. "Shut up. The world isn't going to end because you're out of town to enjoy your honeymoon for a week. You should go."

Barry didn't have the energy to stand up to him. But he made another weak attempt. "The rest of the team didn't agree to this."

"Barry, shut up." All three of them yelled.

#

Okay, so maybe the world _was_ going to end because Barry left. That's what it felt like to Cisco as he vibed Oliver and him in Midway City. Never had he experienced such a strong weather outburst. Strong winds that lifted people and vehicles and that was only one symptom. If he didn't know any better he would have thought that this catastrophe was Weather Wizard throwing a tantrum.

It had been three days. Three slow, nothing-ever-happened days since Barry and Iris went to their honeymoon. And Cisco was glad that nothing major had happened. Really, he was naïve to think that they could get away so easily. But everything indicated that this would be a normal day. Then, out of nowhere nature itself started to protest. It was like the singularity all over again.

Cisco turned to look at Oliver so that they would agree in a course of action. The Green Arrow was already assessing the situation. Cisco wondered how in the world his hood was still on and hadn't fallen off due to the strong wind.

"We need to gather the people inside." He said as he watched citizens running around already headed for the buildings nearby.

"I think they are one step ahead of us." Cisco's voice was barely heard above the noise.

Oliver spared him a look. "Get everyone on the lower levels. We don't know if it's safe to stay higher."

Cisco only nodded. "Man, this is too much for just the two of us."

"We don't have a choice." They both knew that. The phenomenon had stretched across the States, so the team had split up in where they were needed most. "Felicity and Winn are alerting everyone."

So they separated, trying to get as many people as they could to safety. Cisco breached to the top floor of an office. Panic was spread around the room and he had to whistle to get everyone's attention. The workers stared weirdly at the masked hero. What was Vibe doing in their city?"

"Everybody listen up! You need to evacuate the top floors and stay firmly in the lobby."

"Why should we listen to you?" one of them asked.

Cisco rolled his eyes behind the goggles. "It's for your own safety, smartass. The whole building is shaking. It's safer to stay on the ground level." He said loud and clear. Then he expended his arm and opened a breach. "Go through here. It'll take you right downstairs." He ordered.

The one who had spoken didn't move. But another one made the first step and the rest of them followed. Cisco sighed and moved to the next floor. Then he breached to another building.

Oliver was in a similar situation. He yelled instructions at the people in the streets and guided those who couldn't move fast to safety. Stepping inside a building he ordered someone to call and inform the top floors to come carefully down. Then he rushed to the stairs taking them two at a time to do the same.

In Keystone Kid Flash and Wild Dog were evacuating the citizens taking them to safety. Kid Flash run them at super speed two at a time and Wild Dog run the old fashioned way yelling and giving instructions about what to do. The people there didn't protest. They were more familiar with masked heroes taking the lead. Keystone police was patrolling the city. Once they found the two of them they agreed to work together.

Vixen didn't know which way to go first. She had found herself in a situation unlike any she had ever been. How could she possibly handle this? The Earth shook under her feet as another earthquake happened. And it's not like she could do anything about that. Hopefully, she didn't remain alone for too long. Mari felt a strange tingle by her side and when she turned she came face to face with Firestorm and Zatanna. Firestorm's blank eyes were unfocused, but Vixen assumed they were fixed on her.

"I know that you're not an official member of the League, but we thought you might need some assistance."

Vixen nodded gratefully. "You are correct. Please tell me this is caused by a metahuman?"

The man on fire shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. If it was then we could put an end to it. Now, all we can do is get the people to safety and wait for it to stop on its own."

Supergirl flew towards the coast, J'onn trying his best to keep up with her. Two hours ago National City was hit by unimaginably strong wind and frequent small earthquakes. Kara, Mon-El, Alex and James had spread through the city to protect people from getting hurt. The ground cracked, the skyscrapers shook like they were made out of Lego and broken glass fell from the sky. The four of them worked alongside the National City Police Department assisting everyone and getting those who had gotten hurt to the paramedics to be treated. Then suddenly Supergirl had stilled.

"What is it?" Mon-El asked her.

"A ship is sinking. People are drowning."

She didn't freeze, nor did she wait around for instructions. She just took to the sky with only one goal.

"I'm coming too." She barely registered J'onn say through the coms.

Arriving there, Kara was both frightened and in awe by the force of nature. She closed her eyes and focused her hearing.

"Paramedics are on their way." J'onn informed her finally reaching her.

Kara nodded and dove into the cold water. She swam into the sinking ship looking for people that had been trapped inside. J'onn didn't follow her. Instead, he hovered above the giant waves and grabbed two women by the waist.

"You are safe now. Paramedics are waiting on the road above the beach." He told them.

They both nodded scared out of their minds and dripping wet. J'onn set them carefully down and they were both taken care off immediately. The Martian flew above the sea again looking for more scattered people. Then, Supergirl flew out of the water. She held two women in her arms, a man was holding on tightly on her waist and two more hung from her feet. Now, that was an impressive rescue!

Captain Singh led his officers amongst the panic that consumed Central City. David had lost sight of Joe West a while ago, but he was confident that the detective was okay and doing his job. Several buildings had caught fire around his area. The cause was unknown as of yet, but the firefighters were doing everything they could to put the flames out.

"Not this way." He said to a citizen and then guided him to the right place.

Singh looked around him with worry. He hadn't seen either Flash or Kid Flash as of yet and that had him worried. However, form the corner of his eye he caught sight of the white costume of White Canary. And wait...was that Killer Frost? One fire was put out and the...villainess slithered down from an ice slide that she created. David saw her put her hand on her ear. She was talking to someone he realized. Was she working with the good guys now?

Crazy, strong wind blew around them making it hard for them to stand on their feet.

"Lay on the ground!" he yelled hoping to be heard by as many citizens as possible.

He watched as Killer Frost's icy gaze fell on him and then she nodded slightly at something she was told. The ice meta run with conviction towards them.

" **Everyone, stay close!** " she ordered coldly.

David didn't have the strength to stand up to her. Around him people rushed closer and then Killer Frost pointed her hand to the sky. With astonishment he saw ice shoot from her hand and form a wall around them, trapping all of them in a giant igloo. The ice wall provided cover from the wind. Inside, people started mumbling to each other, everyone looking at Killer Frost. Captain Singh rose to his feet and took a few steps towards her. Killer Frost was already looking at him. Her icy eyes did nothing to comfort the Captain.

"Are you going to kill us?" he asked her.

Killer Frost scoffed and sighed. " **I'm not allowed to kill anymore.** " Her voice was as cold as her powers. Then, she brought her hand to her ear again. "It worked."

So David was right. She was talking to someone.

" **I know that I need to make more of these, but I can't go out without breaking the ice.** " She said at the voice in her ear. " **Send Vibe to get me.** "

"I can't." Cisco answered her from Midway City. "The breach will tear the igloo apart."

" **Then how am I supposed to get out?** " she shouted frustrated.

"I got it." Zatanna's voice echoed in her ear.

A few moments later the witch appeared in front of her. She winked playfully at the people around her and took Frost's hand before disappearing again.

"What do we do now?" someone asked.

David sighed. "We wait."

The Black Canary and the Atom had no better luck in Opal City. They were both tired and the disasters didn't seem to stop.

"I think we should reconsider calling Barry back." Dinah said out loud.

"No way." Oliver argued. "He's on vacation."

"I don't think it's such a bad idea, Oliver." Jax agreed with the Black Canary. "Even Grey agrees that we need more hands."

"We can do this, guys." Kara tried to sound positive.

"I'm afraid we can't." Ray's voice came through the coms.

"We need more help. Wally, can you run over here?" Dinah asked from Opal City.

"Not possible. I'm unraveling a tornado and I have two more that came out of nowhere."

"And I have some more bad news." Felicity added with evident worry. "A tsunami is about to hit Coast City."

Supergirl froze in the air. "I'm going."

"There's no way J'onn will be able to save all those people by himself." Alex said.

"I'll manage. Thousands of lives are in danger in Coast City."

Kara hesitated for a moment. Then out of nowhere a man and a woman with wings appeared.

"We are here to help, Supergirl. Go where you are most needed." The woman said.

"Who are you?"

"We are friends of team Arrow and team Flash and former Legends."

"Is that Kendra?" Cisco asked hearing the voice.

Supergirl decided to trust those bird people and with a nod, she flew away trying to make it as fast as she could to Coast City before the tsunami swallowed it whole.

"Kara, the coast is too long." Winn warned her. "You won't be able to freeze all the water."

Kara cursed silently. She saw the massive wave from afar and knew that Winn was right. "Sent Frost over here." She demanded feeling desperate.

 **Next: The disaster continues**


	39. Multiversal Lovers

**Hello, again my wonderful readers. Last week I started my first job so I am a little more busy than usual. But I promise to continue posting chapters as soon as possible.**

 **That's all for now, I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think. I always look forward to reading your comments.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 39

Barry and Iris were enjoying the warm sun on a beach at Bali. He held a Mai Tai in his hand that he had been nursing for the past half hour. Barry couldn't tear his eyes from his wife's sexy body as he watched her sunbath. Unknowingly to him, Iris took lustful glances at him behind her dark sunglasses, while she pretended to be asleep. The first day they had arrived at their honeymoon the couple hadn't left their room, too busy sealing their wedding on the bed, the floor, the nightstand and any surface that wasn't the ceiling. Iris was certain that if Barry could fly they would be doing it up there too. Iris chuckled at the thought, alerting Barry that she was awake.

Barry suddenly had a very bad feeling that something was wrong. Iris saw him frown unconsciously. She sifted her weight on one arm and lowered her sunglasses as she looked at him.

"Why are you frowning?" she asked concerned.

"I have this feeling that something bad is happening back home." He admitted feeling the happiness he felt before slipping away.

"I'm sure it's just because you are away from the team. I'm sure everything is fine." She told him softly.

Barry nodded trying to push the feeling away and focus on his wife. "You're right."

For the next five minutes, he ignored the venomous ache in his gut, until worry wouldn't let him anymore. He planted his feet in the sand making Iris look at him.

"I'm just going to check in real quick."

Iris sighed and nodded. "If it's going to make you relax. I can feel your nerves from over here."

Barry kissed her on the lips before walking away, cell phone already in his hand. He called STAR labs.

"Heeey, Barry. How's the honeymoon?" Felicity answered the call.

Her voice was too high and squeaky. It made Barry frown again.

"Hey, Felicity. Everything is great here. I'm just checking in to see if everything is alright over there."

Felicity's answer was too quick and her voice higher than usual. "Everything is great. Yeah, nothing big is going on, you know, just the usual. So yeah, you know fine -just fine, no need to worry or anything. You definitely don't need to come or anything. We-"

"You're lying, Felicity." Barry caught her off. "You're voice always gets higher and you rumble when you lie."

On the other side, Felicity snorted. "I'm not lying. And -oh- Oliver is calling, so you know -bye." She disconnected the call.

Barry looked at the black screen of his phone frowning deeply. Now he was more certain than ever that something was wrong. His fingers tapped quickly bringing up channel's 52 website. What he saw made his eyes bulge. Reports of catastrophic events hitting many cities across the States. The latest one was about Supergirl and Killer Frost trying to stop a tidal wave from hitting Coast City. Why hadn't they call him earlier? With his heart beating fast inside his chest, Barry rushed back to Iris.

"I need to go." he told her showing her the news on his phone.

A worried line formed on Iris' forehead. She nodded biting her lip. "Go! Come and get me when it's over."

With this final confirmation, Barry ran.

#

Kara and Frost just finished turning the colossus tsunami into an ice sculpture. Tired, they both fell on the beach trying to catch their breaths. It had come real close. The wave had almost reached the beach before they could ice all of it and for a moment they feared that they might fail to stop it completely. Now, the two women marveled at their work. Supergirl got on her feet and walked to Frost.

"Nice work." She complimented as she offered her hand to the meta.

Frost accepted it and got to her feet. " **Right back at you.** " She grinned at Kara with her cold, blue lips. " **Now what?** "

Kara faced the ice sculpture and then clapped her hands with all her strength. A sonic wave hit the ice rupturing it across the length. The ice shuttered and shank into the ocean. Kara grinned back at Frost.

"I think our job here is done. Let's head back."

" **Mind giving me a lift?** "

The wind had calmed down a bit on the way over. Supergirl left Frost in Central City before flying away to go back at rescuing the people she had left in the ocean in National City. Cisco and Oliver had managed the situation in Midway City and had gone to assist Black Canary and Ray. And Wally and Rene had returned to Central having dealt with Keystone. Before Kara could reach the borders of her town Winn had another job for her.

"Kara an airplane is falling in Detroit. I think the engines were damaged. It's going to crush."

"I'm on my way."

Turning directions, Kara broke the sound barrier trying to catch up. With Winn giving her directions Kara arrived just in time to see the airplane about to crash. She flew under it and dug her hands on the metal taking hold of it.

"I'm gonna lift it up."

"Wait, Kara." Felicity's voice made her hesitate. "Estimating the velocity that it's falling, the weight and size of the airplane, you have to lift it slowly applying as little pressure as possible. Otherwise, the plane is going to rip apart and the passengers are going to fall off." She warned the girl of steel.

Kara wanted to curse. They had all the bad luck on their side today. Gently, she started lifting it up just a little bit praying to Rao that she would make it.

From the images from the STAL labs satellite, Winn and Felicity saw that Kara wouldn't be able to save the aircraft before crashing into the skyscraper right in front of them. And unfortunately, their bad luck continued.

"Another airplane is going to crush in National City." Felicity's voice was pure terror.

"Mon-El is the only strong enough to break its fall." Winn added.

The Daxamite lifted his eyes to the sky and saw it in the distance. "I can't fly." He shouted frustrated.

The sound of wings clapping got his attention. The bird people that had come to help J'onn flew straight to him and lifted him up.

"We'll get you up there." The man said.

"Just hurry."

"We're going as fast as we can."

With Mon-El sitting on one of each of their shoulders and their hands wrapped around his legs to keep him steady the three of them neared the falling airplane and Mon-El pushed his hands on the craft's belly.

"Guys I'm about to crush. I need to lift this thing faster." Kara's panicked voice echoed in the Cortex.

"You can't." both shouted.

A flash of yellow lightning lighted the room and the next moment the Flash suit was gone.

"Hang on, Kara."

"Barry, what are you doing here?"

"You should have called me long ago. Felicity, find the blueprints of the building and tell me where the center of gravity is." He ordered and Felicity found herself complying immediately. "Wally, go to National City."

Kid Flash accessed the speedforce and ran going so fast that he broke his personal record. Mon-El, Hawkman and Hawkgirl had a similar problem. Their combined powers didn't work well together and Mon-El didn't have the stability Supergirl had. So their efforts to save the plane weren't so great. Seeing the building ahead of them he greeted his teeth. They were going to crush too. Winn seeing what was about to happen followed Felicity's example and searched for the blueprints.

Kara saw Barry's yellow trail enter the building. She greeted her teeth groaning with frustration. Only a few moments left before the collision. Felicity's panicked voice gave Barry what he needed to know. In a flash, he found the center of gravity and placed his hands on it. Then he started vibrating.

Wally breathed heavily as he reached his destination. The yellow speedster saw the crush coming and he knew that he needed to follow Barry's example.

"Where do I go and what do I do?" he asked fast.

Winn gave him the directions he needed. Wally sped inside and found what he was looking for.

"Barry, what do I do now?"

" _You-need-to-vibrate-the-building-in-the-natural-frequency-of-the-air._ " Barry's voice came disoriented from the coms.

Wally hesitated, feeling doubt. "I've never done that."

" _You-can-Wally. You-saw-me-vibrate-that-train. Believe-in-yourself._ "

Wally sucked in a deep breath, closes his eyes and did it."

Kara had her eyes glued to the skyscraper that was about to become very familiar with her face. She could handle the collision, but the people inside the airplane couldn't. Then suddenly the whole building started vibrating.

" _Keep-it-steady-Supergirl._ " She heard Barry say in her ear.

She trusted him. Of course, she did. So she kept her light pressure on the plane steady. And then she phased through the building. She watched with astonishment as she flew through the concrete and the steel piles and everything that was inside but not coming in contact with any of it. The next moment she and the plane on her back phased out and she landed in the middle of the empty street. She let go of the plane and went and ripped the door entering inside. Kara came face to face with the frightened passengers.

"You are safe now." She smiled reassuringly at them.

Then she went to find Barry. She found him lying on the ground sweating from exhaustion. It had taken all his strength to vibrate the entire building. Kara rushed to his side and put her hand on his shoulder.

"You did it." She smiled at him.

Barry smiled tiredly back at her. " _We_ did it. Partner."

They chuckled and Kara helped him get up. Resting his weight on her, Flash and Supergirl made their way outside where a big crowd had gathered. As the citizens saw the two heroes come out they started clapping and applauding. They smiled and waved at them. Then Barry lifted his hand to his ear. He needed to know if Wally had succeeded.

#

When Kara and Barry rushed to the cortex they found the entire League congratulating Kid Flash for his accomplishment. Wally was bragging proudly as he recited how he helped Mon-El and the Hawk people fly the airplane through the bug structure. The speedster beamed as he talked and he had every right to. What he had accomplished was not a small thing. Barry grinned proudly at his protégé and hugged him tightly.

"Good job. I'm very proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you."

"You just needed a little push." The older speedster chuckled.

"I guess we needed you after all." Kara said watching the two speedsters hugging.

Barry let go of Wally and looked around him. "Yeah, I'm still mad at you for not calling me." He said not sounding mad at all.

"We had it under control." Oliver explained, but seeing the look on Barry's face he added quickly. "Until those two airplanes went down. And we didn't want to disturb your vacation."

"I remember Caitlin telling me that heroes don't get vacation." He replied smartly.

His green eyes fell on Frost and he felt a wave of satisfaction for not only helping save the Central City but also helping Kara with the tidal wave. Then he turned his gaze at Kendra and Carter.

"It's good to see you two again." He shook their hands.

"Nice to see you too, Barry." Kendra offered kindly. "All of you." She waved at Sara, Ray and Jax and Stein. "When we saw on the news that you had all joined the teams, we realized that something bid was going on." She continued on.

"We debated coming to join too, but we saw that you were more than capable to handle everything that came in your way." Carter added. "Until today, that is. We knew that we needed to help out."

"And they came at just the right moment." Mon-El said.

"So you all know each other?" Kara asked.

Kendra nodded. "Yes, both Barry and Oliver and later the Legends helped us destroy an immortal madman from our past that killed us every time we reincarnate to gain immortality."

"After four thousand years we were finally free of him, so Kendra and I left to live a normal life for once. But our true calling is to help people."

"You want to join us?" Barry offered, getting an approving nod from Kara.

"We talked about it and we think we do." Kendra replied.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Felicity spoke up.

Kendra and Carter looked surprised by her question. Before they could answer Oliver's phone rang. Looking at the Id number Oliver excused himself and left to answer the call.

"I work as an assistant at a law firm, taking calls and making appointments. It's not a perfect job but it's better than a barista. And Carter teaches self-defense at a youth club."

"How do you feel about coming to work for me at Smoak tech.?" Felicity said bluntly. Everyone blinked at her, surprised by her sudden offer. "I need a personal assistant that knows about my other life and Sara could use another person for the security. Before you decline I'll pay you three times what you are currently getting and if Kendra is good at her job I can make you head of the PR department in three months."

 _Holy shit!,_ was what Kendra was screaming inside. Carter was still thoughtful, not really knowing if leaving their current jobs was the best idea. But as usual, Kendra didn't leave him much of a choice as she quickly shouted: "We agree."

The atmosphere in the Cortex turned moody as Oliver walked back in.

"Guys I need to tell you something." He said soberly.

It sent alarms to everyone hearing the tone of his voice and seeing the expression on his face.

"What's going on, Ollie?" Sara spoke up.

Oliver seemed nervous as he looked around the room. His eyes fell on his phone for a moment and he sighed before returning to the team.

"A couple of weeks ago I received a letter at the mayor's office. It was from a group of people called The 9th Circle and they asked me to join them." He explained. "I didn't want to say anything before I knew that this was a threat for sure, especially because we were dealing with a lot. But I asked Lyla to do some research."

"Did she find anything?" Barry's voice was neutral and calm as was his face.

But at the same time, the look on Felicity's face made Oliver want to puke. "I can't believe you hid this from us - from me. I mean I can believe it, but still." Her voice was deadly calm, so much that Oliver would prefer it if she yelled. "I thought you have learned by now, you know with William and Slade and anything Island related."

Oliver didn't dare speak. He had expected Felicity to be upset but it was still hard to be confronted by her. His blue eyes lowered to the floor as if searching for his fallen strength. And he appeared to find it when they rose again.

"That was her on the phone." He answered Barry's question. "She said that Waller had something on it, but they were all destroyed files and she couldn't recover anything useful."

"That means something right?" Kara spoke.

Rene snorted. "If Waller had files on these people then it's definitely more than something."

"Then we'll look into it. Find anything we can." The blonde said back. "If they are interested in Oliver, then we should know what we're dealing with."

"Absolutely." Barry agreed.

"Yeah, now he wants our help." Felicity mumbled bitterly.

"Come on Felicity. He was just trying not to put too much on us for no reason." Kara tried to reason with her. "Now that he knows for sure he told us."

"He should have done it from the beginning. He just doesn't trust us."

"Of course I trust you." Oliver objected immediately.

Felicity glared at him and was about to say something back, but whatever that was Barry spoke up before she could.

"Guys, this is pointless. We can't go back in time. We just have to go forward with what we have."

The speedster saw Dinah raise an amused eyebrow at him. "Can't you go back in time?"

Barry gave her the are-you-for-real look. "Yeah, and you all know how great that went. It was a figure of speech anyway."

"I can help, but after I come back from Earth-19." Cisco offered.

Sara frowned at him. "Why are you going to Earth-19?"

"I have to do something important. Something I have postponed for too long."

"He needs to go." Barry backed his friend up.

From the look that he gave everyone, they knew that they shouldn't press more. So they let it go. Whatever Cisco needed to do on another Earth it was probably personal and he obviously didn't want them to know.

"I'll start looking right away." Winn broke the silence. "Are you, Felicity?"

The blonde sighed and nodded. However upset she was, she couldn't be mad for long. Secretive was who Oliver was and there was no other way but to deal with it.

#

Gypsy felt him arriving just a few seconds before a bright blue portal opened behind her. She felt terrified for a second. She was afraid to see him, afraid of what could happen to him if someone saw him. Especially her father. How could she protect him if he was caught? The thought made her shiver unpleasantly. After everything she did, the lengths she went through to protect him, why was he here now? It had been months, over a year since she last saw him, yet he had not once left her mind. Gypsy had thrown herself into work seeking desperately a distraction from the pain that she was feeling. But work couldn't fill the hole in her heart.

Gypsy had always been popular with the guys. She was beautiful, strong-willed and the daughter of the head of the collectors. It was only natural that men would be attracted to her. She had gone through many guys and failed relationships and between all of them Cisco Ramon, rookie hero of Earth-1, was the only man she had ever truly loved. So, it was only natural that fate would have her break both their hearts.

"It's like you have a death wish, Cisco."

She was nervous to see him, afraid of the reaction he might have. And she had a right to -especially after the way she ended things. Now that her brown eyes fell on the familiar face, the long curled hair and the stupid suit he loved wearing so much, Gypsy felt a pang on her chest. However, she decided to close up herself. It was easier for her to deal with Cisco as if she didn't care, than have a mental breakdown in front of him. And more so, in order to get him to leave her Earth as soon as possible.

"It was a risk I was willing to take." His voice was cold as he replied to her.

Gypsy didn't know why, but hearing him use this tone hurt her. She knew she was being selfish, that Cisco had a right to move on with his life -she had been the one to make choice for him- but it only reminded her how much she still loved him and that she hadn't gotten over him at all.

"It was a stupid risk." She snapped at him. "Why are you here, Cisco?"

"Trust me, I tried avoiding coming, but I can't get the vibes to stop."

"If someone finds out that you are here, I won't be able to protect you."

She saw him tighten his jaw. It was clear that she had upset him. And for some reason, that knowledge gave her a little satisfaction. Perhaps it was knowing that she wasn't the only one with a hard time.

"Good," Cisco shrugged simply. "Because I came here to tell you something that involves your Earth directly."

Gypsy stiffened. She felt her body and mind freeze. She knew the minute her mask dropped and allowed Cisco to see how she truly felt. She saw it written on his face despite the stupid goggles he was wearing. He was taken aback -that was for sure. Did he still love her? That's what she truly wanted to ask him. That, and to scream and beg him to take her back. Had she made a mistake? She wondered now because she desperately wanted to be filled with his love and sappy romance. And she wanted Cisco to take her back to his Earth and leave the agency behind because there she could be free in a way that on her Earth couldn't. They would be the most badass superpowered couple and she wouldn't even mind having the Flash as her boss. Barry was more like a super friend that a boss, unlike her father at the agency. No, she would gladly take assignments and follow a speedster that had a different set of justice that the one they had on Earth-19. She at least would be happier with her love and her freedom. And the set up they had at STAR labs was more than what they had home.

But despite wanting to say all that, she knew she couldn't. She had all that and she left it all because she wanted to keep him alive. She couldn't get addicted again. So instead she asked: "You had a vibe about my Earth?"

Cisco sifted his weight nervously. "More like about you." He struggled with his words. "But you were warning me about your Earth."

Gypsy frowned. She was confused and worried. "I haven't vibed anything like this." She admitted and then pierced him with her eyes. "Why did you?" she almost accused him.

It would be the perfect excuse if he was lying. And it would give her the justification to be cruel to him. Oh, how she wanted to. But unfortunately, Gypsy knew that he wasn't lying.

"I wish I knew, okay?!" Cisco suddenly exploded. "I've been having this vibe for months -MONTHS! And it keeps bugging me and it's screwing with my head. I tried to ignore it, but it just won't go away." He stopped talking trying to slow down his breath. "So, that's why I'm here. I'll show you the vibe and then I'm heading home and hopefully, I'll be able to catch some proper sleep from now on."

Gypsy bit the inside of her cheek. So that's why he was here. He'll just warn her, dump the problem to her and then he'll go back to his life like nothing happened. Gypsy wanted to snarl at him, to lash out and hurt him. How could he still hurt her when he was just being thoughtful? Risking coming to her Earth meant that he still cared. Didn't it?

And like all the times, their bad timing stuck again. Because before Gypsy could respond a different portal opened next to her and an older man with a ponytail and mustache came out.

"You invaded the wrong Earth, Breacher." The man growled. "Now die, Breacher, die!"

To both their horror two vibrating blasts shot from the man's hands directly towards Cisco. Vibe avoided them only by pure luck. Feeling completely terrified by the course of the events, Gypsy placed herself in front of Cisco and raised her hands in defending mode.

"Daddy, no!" she screamed desperately. "Don't kill him, please. He's not invading."

Gypsy's father narrowed his small eyes on her. "Why are you defending a Breacher, Cynthia? He is from a different Earth. You know the law."

Gypsy's eyes were huge with desperation. Her father couldn't kill him. If Cisco died now, she would have left him for nothing.

"Please, daddy, please! He is not dangerous. Cisco just came to warn us. He had a vibe that something terrible is going to happen to our Earth and he just came to warn us about it. I swear you, he's leaving." She begged.

Her father lowered his hands having a thoughtful expression on his face. "Cisco is a familiar name." he said. "Isn't he that nothing-for-good boyfriend of yours that I made you break up with?"

Cisco felt anger rise through his veins. So that's why she left? That's why she broke his heart without reason? Because her scary father demanded it?

"And how did you decide that I am not worthy?!" he demanded, coming around from Gypsy's protected shield.

Gypsy's father raised his hands again and smirked darkly at him. Gypsy threw herself in front of Cisco again.

"My daughter will not date anyone from another world. My planet was attacked, destroyed by people like you. I will never allow her to be with someone like you. Now leave or die. This is your last chance liar."

Cisco tightened his jaw and didn't cower at the force of the man's gaze. "No!" he said strongly. "And I am no liar. I really did have a vibe. One that has been torturing me for months. I don't care what you say. I'll show your daughter my vision and then I'll leave. But not before. If you want to see it too, then you're welcome, otherwise, leave us alone."

Gypsy was gawking at him. Where had Cisco found such spine? She was extremely turned on. She didn't know that she needed this side of Cisco.

"There's no vibe. He's just using it as an excuse to see you."

Gypsy glared at her father.

"I believe him. Now stop talking and let us focus."

She turned to Cisco again and this time she smiled softly at him. For a moment she felt like flirting with him before she collected herself. Their hands joined and the vibe appeared in both their heads. When it was over Gypsy stared confused at the other Vibe.

"What does that mean?"

Cisco shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Maybe..." her eyes drifted briefly to her father. "Maybe if we had more vibe power we could see more and understand what we're dealing with." She suggested.

Cisco just shrugged once again. He wasn't the one with a chip on his shoulder. The older man watched the paid with all his focus. When he heard his daughter he knew that the situation was serious, so he sighed and despite everything he stood for he walked closer.

"Let's see what you got, Breacher." He growled offering his hand.

The Vibes joined hands again, but unfortunately, the vision didn't change.

"Huh!" was the only thing that Gypsy's father mumbled.

Cisco took a few steps back and dusted his sweaty hands on his pants. "I have to go now." He said with a small voice. "I have people depending on me."

Gypsy nodded, though she was sad to see him leave so soon. "I understand. Thank you for coming to warn us. I'll try to find more about this."

"Good," Cisco nodded his head too, not knowing what else to do. "That's all I wanted."

But he lingered, he didn't leave. And for a moment Gypsy wondered if he was going to kiss her. And that was something she really wanted -no, needed. But it never happened. In seconds, Cisco opened a breach behind him and disappeared with her heartbreaking as it closed.

#

Zatanna was scrolling through her father's book of Shadows when Ray found her.

"Hey, Z." he greeted her and joined her by her side.

Zatanna looked up and smiled at him. She found amusing the nickname he had for her. Sure it wasn't anything particularly great, but it still brought a smile on her face every time she heard it.

"Hi, Ray." She greeted back.

"Have you find anything useful in this?" he pointed with his eyes at the book.

Zatanna frowned and closed it. "Not really." She said with disappointment. "But I think that if I could see what you did when you were over there, maybe I could have a clue of how to help."

Ray's blue eyes widened. "I think Cisco can help." He took her hand and raced out of the room." he has done this before." He continued as they ran through the halls towards Cisco's workshop.

Zatanna pulled at him with force to make him stop. Ray looked at her confused. "Cisco isn't here. He went to Earth-19, remember?"

Ray groaned out loud, his head tilling upwards. It was moments like these where Mick Rory would make a snarky comment calling him 'Haircut' and insult him in the most illogical way possible. Ray both missed and not these moments.

"We can at least try to see if he came back. And if he hasn't we can wait for him in his workshop." He suggested.

Zatanna's blue eyes sparkled as she watched him and nodded in agreement. For a moment, Ray was struck at how her eyes glimmered when they weren't hidden under her bangs. And suddenly, it was like Ray remembered what they were supposed to be doing and cleared his throat snapping both of them out of whatever it was that they were in. Zatanna followed him to Cisco's workshop and the man took a pick inside. Surprisingly, Vibe was already there. Ray knocked softly on the wall gaining Cisco's attention. When Cisco did look up, they both felt a pang of guilt for interrupting. The man looked tired and sad. More than any of the two of them had ever seen him.

"Sorry for disturbing." Ray said quietly. "We thought that you were on Earth-19."

"I was, I just came back." Cisco replied, his voice low and colorless.

"Everything okay?" Ray continued feeling concerned for his friend.

Cisco shrugged and curled his lips. "I don't know yet. I guess time will tell." He chuckled.

"We wanted to talk to you about Orion." Zatanna explained. "We can come back later if this is not a good time."

She was ready to bolt out of there, but Cisco just shook his head. "No, no, now is good." He insisted. "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Zatanna and Ray exchanged looks seeking advice from each other with if they should move forward. They both decided affirmatively. Walking fully inside the workshop Zatanna stood awkwardly by the desk right across from Cisco. Ray stood beside her a little more relaxed.

"Well..." Zatanna began. "I wasn't able to find anything to help us truck this Orion person, but we thought that if I could see what Ray experienced in your time in this other planet then maybe I can find a clue as to what to look for."

"And I knew that you have vibed people's memories before, so..." Ray let the words fade.

Cisco nodded thoughtfully. He didn't say anything for a few seconds and that made Ray and Zatanna wait in suspense. Then finally, he just got up.

"Okay. If it's going to help us find Orion, then let's do it." He noted for them to follow him.

The other two hurried behind him. Zatanna's heels echoed in the empty hall. Ray was worried that she might wrench her foot, but the witch was confident in her running. It was as if the stilettos didn't affect her at all.

The breach room was not one of the rooms that Zatanna had been before. Not that she had been in many and all of them looked very similar to her. Ray was a little more familiar in this space. They waited by the side as Cisco searched for something. Wires and wires and more wires. Then finally, he approached then holding out two...wires.

"Put these on each temple." He instructed and showed them putting his set of wires on each side of his head.

Zatanna looked a little skeptical but seeing Ray comply gave her the confidence boost she lacked. When all three of them were set, Cisco gave the next set of instructions.

"Now, Ray I want you to think very clearly this memory, I mean really focus on it. And I'll do the rest from there."

It was not hard for Ray to think back to this memory. It was so terrified it had stayed with him for days, visiting him in his dreams at night.

 _One moment they were at STAR labs and the next they found themselves surrounded by big objects in a grey background. Everything around them was so huge compared to them. They knew that this was because originally Ra had shrunk in order to steal a tool of Cisco undetected. But they were still not prepared for this. At least, Cisco and Zatanna weren't. Zatanna felt like she was a part in 'Gulliver's Travels'._

" _This is them. Those aliens I recorded." Ray pointed at the two insect-looking aliens that were hard to miss considering their size. Or the size the three of them currently were - if you wanted to be objective._

" _Dude, that's seriously freaky." Cisco remarked not able to take his eyes, widen and shocked, away from the monsters._

" _I know." Ray agreed. "My heart was beating so fast that it's a miracle I didn't have a stroke."_

 _Cisco snorted. "My man, I get you, I really do."_

" _Guys, what is this?" Zatanna asked suddenly._

 _Both men turned to her frowning in confusion. "Huh?" was the only sound Cisco could make._

 _Zatanna rolled her eyes and pointed at one of the aliens. "That thing in its hand. What do you think it is?"_

 _Now that they were really looking at what she was pointing at, they both could see something shiny._

" _It looks like a piece of a suit." Cisco said in the end._

" _You think it belonged to this Orion?" Ray asked._

" _It has too." Cisco nodded. "I mean they were talking about how they wouldn't let Orion succeed next time. So he was there and maybe that piece fell off."_

" _We have to get it." Zatanna announced with conviction._

 _Ray and Cisco stared at her not very fond of the idea of returning to this hell hole._

" _It's the only way." She continued. "If I get my hands on this piece I can cast a return-to-owner spell."_

" _And the piece will lead us straight to where Orion is." Cisco concluded._

 _Ray gasped with astonishment. "Then we can finally get some answers."_

 _Zatanna nodded smiling. They were finally getting somewhere._

Then suddenly, they were back at STAR labs.

"As much as I don't like it, we don't have another choice." Cisco mumbled. "We have to go back in Apocalypse world. Let's do it fast."


	40. From Bad to Worse

**Hello, my lovely readers. I'm back with another chapter –I love this one so much. I really hope you'll like it too. Let me know what you think in the comments. Also, do you like the new picture I made for the story? I've been working on it for a couple of days now. I'm really proud it, I just can't stop looking at it and smile. Haha, I'm getting weird now. That's all. I hope you like the chapter, so many things are going down and we haven't even got to the good stuff yet.**

Chapter 40

Hurried looks of pressure and uncertainty formed on each other faces. Cisco put on the gauntlets of his suit that he had previously taken off and grabbed the goggles. His eyes fell on his two friends and nodded at them.

"Let's go now. Before I get scared and change my mind."

They both understood. Ray because he could relate with Cisco having been to the Apocalypse world himself and Zatanna just by the description of the place. She had never been to Hell like Constantine had, but the other magician never failed to retell the story of his journeys every time to her with every detail.

They hurried after Cisco, Ray already having his suit in the pocket of his jacket and Zatanna didn't really planned on changing her outfit. Her motto was _'You can look fabulous at everything you do!'_ and it was something that neither the men nor the women of the League understood. Passing the hidden time vault Ray suddenly stopped.

"Wait, guys!" he urged.

Hitting the breaks Zatanna almost fell on Cisco. They both looked at the other man.

"I need to run something by Gideon." Was Ray's only explanation.

Cisco and Zatanna shared a confused look between them and then shrugged and followed Ray into the time vault.

"Gideon." Ray called out in the futuristic room.

The A.I. appeared out of nowhere at the sound of its name. "Hello, Dr. Palmer."

"On the second version of the Gideon program we have on the Waverider, Gideon could make pills that allowed you to understand and speak every language known to man." Ray begun, not wanting to delay their trip.

"You want me to synthesize a pill that will allow you to understand the alien language you had me translate." Gideon more than said.

Ray nodded affirmatively at the A.I. Cisco and Zatanna looked impressed at the man in front of them. _Why didn't I think of that?_ , Cisco thought to himself.

The A.I. took the whole form of a woman and nodded at Ray. "I can do that."

A secret socket (more secret that the secret room they were in) opened at the side of the wall. Three set of eyes watched at a ray of red light synthesized three small pills.

"The pills are ready, Dr. Palmer." Gideon confirmed what they all knew.

"Thank you, Gideon." Ray said politely.

The A.I. nodded. "Of course. Would you like anything else?"

"No, Gideon, thank you."

Gideon didn't say anything else. She just disappeared as fast as she had appeared. Cisco walked to the opened socket and carefully picked up the pills.

"I have to admit. Thawne might have been an evil bastard, but he was a genius evil bastard."

That was more that a small understatement. For all the pain the villain from the future had caused, it was more painful to admit his brilliance. Cisco offered his open palm to Ray and Zatanna, two small pills staring at them ready to be swallowed. Without hesitation they took one each and with Cisco holding his own in his other hand they all brought it up as if to inspect Gideon's creations. One look was shared between the three of them and the next moment the pills were no more, sliding down their esophagus and towards their tummies.

"Now we are ready to go." Ray said. "I figured if we're going to a dangerous alien planet the least we could do is understand what they are saying."

"Your idea was brilliant, my friend." Cisco complimented him placing a hand on Ray's shoulder.

"Wait, shouldn't we tell anyone where we're going?" Zatanna questioned smartly.

The two men turned to look at her frowning. "We'll leave them a video message." Cisco finally said.

Zatanna wanted to protest. They were about to walk into the most dangerous place that all three of them had ever been. It seemed logical to her that the rest of the heroes should be informed in case something went horribly wrong. But Ray went along with Cisco, so she decided to not pressure the issue more. After all, she was the new girl and Cisco and Ray obviously knew more than her.

The walk to the breach room was quick and blurry. Cisco felt like something was holding him back from opening a breach. It wasn't his sense of direction. The place had been imprinted in his memories like an unwanted song gets stuck from time to time. No, it was his survival instincts that were messing with his powers. While Cisco tried to push past his fears, Ray had put on his Atom suit and was criticizing Zatanna's choice of clothing.

"I don't think wearing this outfit is the best idea."

"I'll be fine."

"The planet there is like a volcanic desert. Burned sand and mud and the air breathes like burned garbage."

"I'll manage."

"Wearing a proper suit is safer."

Zatanna glared at him. Ray shut up.

Apocalypse was as awful as Cisco remembered. He was able to breach the three of them to the hiding spot he, Kara and Oliver had used last time they were here. Ray felt his heart sinking as he looked around him. When they had escaped this place last time, Ray had hoped and prayed that he'll never return. Destiny had a different opinion obviously. As for Zatanna, the witch of the company frowned and twitched her nose as soon as she landed.

"I feel bad for those who live here." They all heard her clearly say.

"Only that those who live here want to kill you." Cisco told her. "So, you know, don't feel too bad for them."

Zatanna shrugged and offered them a half smile. "So what's the plan now? We are here, so how do we get that piece?"

Ray raised his hand excitedly, like he knew the answers to a teacher's question. "I'm going to shrink us down so that we'll be unnoticeable and then maybe you can try a tracking spell or Cisco can breach us?"

It was a decent enough plan for Zatanna, but Cisco was shaking his head. "I'm not sure I can find the piece. I've never come in contact with it, I don't know its vibrational aura."

"It's okay." Zatanna told him reassuringly. "I can just try to cast a spell."

A silent understanding passed between them. Cisco didn't feel bad that Zatanna was taking the lead. Instead he embraced the change of dynamic between the three of them. Ray didn't waste any time. He pointed his armored arm towards Cisco first and shot him with the shrinking ray. Then he repeated the action with Zatanna.

Being shrunk in this size was…interesting to say the least. For the two who had never experienced seeing the world like it was built for giants it was more than overwhelming. Neither showed their discomfort however. Both Zatanna and Cisco put on their brave faces and didn't say a word that suggested how weirded out they were. They convinced themselves that it would pass, that they would eventually grow comfortable being the size of an ant. And no, Cisco definitely didn't worry about being any of the bug-aliens' next meal.

Ray looked proud of himself if the smug grin of his face was any indication. He debated saying something like ''welcome to my world'' but he didn't think the line would be much appreciated by either of his friends. So instead, he gave a hopeful look to Zatanna.

"Okay, zap us to Orion's thing now."

Zatanna had been thinking about how to go with the spell. When it came to magic like this –where you needed to improvise- things could get done very easily or they could go very wrong. With that in mind, the witch casted the working spell anyway. The men automatically closed their eyes. It was just an instinct as neither knew how it would feel to be transported in this size. However, when they opened their eyes again they hadn't moved an inch. Like at all. Cisco frowned. Despite having powers of his own, he didn't know the mechanics behind magic. Ray, on the other hand, looked disappointed.

"Did the spell not work?"

Zatanna was confused too by the results. Only for a moment, though. She very quickly understood where the spell had gone wrong…or more accurately why.

"The spell should have worked, but shrinking us also shrunk my magic." She explained sighing in frustration. "I'm betting Cisco's powers were affected too."

As if to try and prove her wrong, Cisco tried to breach away. Only as soon as a small breach opened it closed just as fast. Vibe's shoulders fell and he looked like a kicked puppy. He placed his hands on his hips and lifted his chin up.

"Well, there goes our plan."

"I may have another way." Zatanna's eyes lighten up.

The men mirrored her expression and waited impatiently to hear her idea.

"Ray, turn us back to normal. I'll take it from there."

The Atom, not having any other plan or wanting to see what happened when Zatanna got pissed, aimed his ray on them again and reversed the effects. When the three of them regained their original size, Cisco run his hands all over his body and an excited expression spread on his face.

"Oh, man, I'm whole again!" he cheered. "Don't get me wrong, Ray, what you can do is awesome, but I like my height. I'm short as it is, I don't need to shrink even more."

Ray chuckled at Cisco, not taking offence at his words.

"Elbisivni."

Both Ray and Cisco forgot what they were talking about as they turned and looked at Zatanna confused.

"What did you just do?" Cisco asked frowning.

"I casted an invisible spell on us." The witch explained simply. "Now we can go wherever we want and no one will know that we were ever here."

Ray was again amazed by Zatanna's capabilities and his mouth opened slightly with astonishment. And Cisco just wondered: _Why didn't I think of that?_

"That is amazing." Ray exclaimed behind the helmet of his robotic suit. "Can you cast the other spell too?" he wondered. He didn't know if she could only cast one spell at the time or multiple. If they needed for the current spell to wear off in order to cast another one, then that was very unhelpful.

Zatanna simply smirked at them. "Ekat su ot S'noiro ygniht."

And as simple as that, the next think they know Ray, Cisco and Zatanna found themselves in an entire different place. It was a storage room, if Cisco had to guess. Vibe took in his surrounding quickly before turning his attention to the woman of their party.

"Did you just say 'Take us to Orion's thingy' backwards?" he asked her bemused.

But Zatanna just shrugged innocently without providing an answer. "It worked, didn't it?"

"I don't see anything that resembles what we saw in the vibe."

"I see it." Ray injected, successfully gaining their attention.

Two pair of eyes followed Ray's extended arm that pointed to the top of a shelf. Note: it was guarded. Cisco took a few steps closer to take a better look. It hadn't been very clear in the vision what Orion had left behind, but now they could see that it was a helmet. It looked…like an ordinary helmet if only a bit futuristic. These aliens had it placed in a display case like a trophy or something. Cisco's first assumption had been wrong. They weren't in a storage room, they were in some kind of trophy room where these aliens kept memorials from their wins.

Ray examined closely the case around the helmet. "It must have some kind of alarm system. You know, in case someone tried to steal it. Someone like us." He said thoughtfully.

Cisco narrowed his eyes on the glass case too. "I agree."

Before he could say anything else he was interrupted as one of those insect aliens walked in. Spooked –considering their previous interaction with the species- Cisco and Ray jumped ready to hide wherever they could find. But before either one could make a step, Zatanna grabbed firmly their hands.

Right! Invisibility spell.

Both men sighed with relief as they remembered. The alien took a look inside the room but it was unable to spot either of the trio. It appeared to make a move to step inside but it stopped as another alien called out for its attention.

"What are you doing soldier?" the new alien asked.

"I thought I heard something."

Inside his head, Cisco thanked Ray for thinking to make those magic pills.

"I don't see anyone."

"I guess I just imagined it. We all have been on edge to know the results from Darkseid's test on Earth."

At these last words, Cisco, Zatanna and Ray shared a panicked look. What now? What test? And how did these aliens know about their planet. As far as they knew, their presence the last time they were here was unknown to the inhabitants of planet Apocalypse. But perhaps they had assumed wrong.

"The test was successful." The other alien replied. "The human heroes rose up to the challenge and saved the world from the natural disasters Darkseid created. They are going to become the greatest Furies on Darkseid's army. He is very pleased."

The first alien made a weird sound. "It's curious." It said. "Earth is the only planet with lesser beings than any of the other inhabited worlds. How come is has the strongest protectors?"

"It is unclear yet. But Darkseid is sure that Earth is the battlefield in which he will finally defeat the Anti-monitor once and for all. Now come. Darkseid is having a feast for the great results we got from the heroes of Earth."

The two aliens walked away leaving the humans alone again in the Trophy room.

"The unexpected weather disaster. It was Darkseid." Cisco finally spoke breathless.

It would take him a while to wrap his head around what he just heard. He was more than a little overwhelmed. He was scared. It was a feeling that was shared by all three of them.

"And he wants to make us part of his Fury army. Whatever that is." Ray continued Cisco's line of thought.

They stayed frozen like this for a while. The shock of the news had them so frozen in place that Killer Frost would be jealous. That was until Zatanna broke them out of this state.

"Come on. Let's grab Orion's helmet and get out of here." She said swinging around a golden key. "This place is creeping me out. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to."

Ray and Cisco looked at her confused.

"Where did you get that key?"

"I stole it from one of these things while they were talking." she told them like it was obvious.

Well, that explains it.

#

It had only been a couple of days since the world nearly self destructed and it was what everyone was talking about. Literally everyone. Everybody on the streets, coffee shops, at their jobs... It was the favorite subject on every media. Cat Grant was the first to report on the subject followed by the Daily Planet and Central City Picture News. The papers thanked gratefully the League for saving the day once again, but the heroes knew that not everyone shared the sentiment. Channel 52 had done multiple interviews with environmental specialist and none of them knew why, how or what had caused nature's outburst.

Senator Domini, on the other hand, was too happy to appear on air and didn't hesitate to blame the League for the disasters across the States, claiming that the heroes were playing a dangerous game in order to win their trust. Sara had been two seconds away from going all League of Assassins on him and taking off his head. And Caitlin had been so angry that she had turned into Frost. None of them did anything however. They had bigger and more dangerous things at hand to allow a petty man dictate their actions.

Felicity and Winn were working feverishly, searching the web, the dark web and all the shades in between to find anything that tied even remotely to the 9th circle. The blonde was still upset with Oliver and his continue-ish habit of keeping things to himself, but despite that she had forgiven him. She had sent Kendra and Jax at the library to go through printed evidence and Iris and Kara were also digging up things in their respected jobs as journalists.

Barry and Wally had locked themselves in the speed lab teaching Bart how to use his powers and Caitlin had joined them wanting to keep track of the kid's vitals. As for Oliver, she imagined that he was brooding in the training room taking out his frustration on a punching bag. She still hadn't told him that she had forgiven him. Winn sighed loudly from next to her.

"This is a huge disappointment." He groaned and made a gesture of giving up.

Felicity stopped typing on her keyboard and turned to give him a sad half smile. "You are hitting dead ends too?"

Winn's expression was tired. "There's nothing that even leads to a dead end." He waved his hands around frustrated.

"Do you think looking for this 9th circle is pointless?"she asked, although she wasn't sure if she was talking for Winn or for herself.

Her colleague shook his head. "No, just that maybe we're looking at the wrong place. Heck, maybe we're looking at this all wrong."

"What other angle is there to look?"

Winn sighed again and his shoulders fell. "I don't know."

At this moment Kara strolled in wearing her everyday clothes. It was clear that she had come straight from work.

"Please tell me you have good news." Winn begged her.

The girl of steel just shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint." She frowned sadly. "I'm guessing you're not doing so great on your end too, ha."

"That is an understatement." Felicity fixed her with a look.

Kara didn't offer to say anything further for the subject. Instead, she took a look around and looked back curiously at the two hackers.

"Where's everyone? Wasn't Cisco going to help you guys?"

But it wasn't Felicity or Winn that answered her question.

"Cisco left with Ray and Zatanna. They left a message." Barry sped inside the cortex unannounced. "I need a break. Bart keeps calling me grandpa. After the tenth time, I kinda freaked out."

A faint smile appeared on Kara's face. She didn't know why, but Barry's reaction was amusing to her.

"Did they say where they went?" Felicity asked.

The speedster shook his head. "Nope. Just that they were leaving to do something important and they were coming back soon." Then he turned and looked hopefully at Kara. "Want to go get ice cream?"

Kara's face immediately lightened up. "You know me. I love ice cream."

Excited, Barry got up and grabbed his jacket. But before the two of them could get out to the hallway Felicity gasped a "Oh, no!" that had them stop in their tracks.

"What is it?" both were instantly behind the two IT people looking at Felicity's screen.

"I think we have a stalker." Was the only thing Felicity said.

Barry pressed the communication button. "Guys, we need you in the cortex right now."

It didn't take long for the others to come. Oliver busted into the room like a man on a mission.

"What is going on?" he demanded calmly.

The others just pointed at the screen. There, on the black coding box, with white mechanical letters was a single line.

' _Hello, Overwatch, big fan. I see you're looking into the 9_ _th_ _circle._ _ **'**_

The next couple of moments were quiet as they looked at each other with concerned expressions.

"We've been hacked?" from the way that Oliver expressed his sentence it wasn't clear if he was asking or stating.

"We need to find the Trojan horse and kill it." Winn said alarmed.

"Not before I have a talk with this hacker." Felicity injected immediately. "This person knows my codename. I want to know who they are too."

"Do you think this is wise?" Oliver objected.

Felicity spared him a glare. "I don't tell you how to do your vigilantism. Don't tell me how to do my thing."

Oliver seemed to want to object again but he thought better of it and kept his mouth shut.

' _That doesn't seem fair. You know who I am, but I don't know who you are._ _ **'**_

' _I'm a fan of your work, Overwatch. I saw your signature fingerprints on the web and I wanted to chat._ _ **'**_

' _How nice of you. Doesn't mean that I trust you._ _ **'**_

' _You are not going to find anything on them. But I can help you._ _ **'**_

Felicity gasped. "That bitch is arrogant."

"How do you know it's a she?" Caitlin asked.

"I know." Felicity replied bluntly.

' _Is that right?_ _ **'**_

' _I'm working with a vigilante of my own. We've been tracking them down for a long time._ _ **'**_

' _I haven't heard of any other vigilantes._ _ **'**_

' _My guy likes to keep in the shadows and doesn't do partnerships._ _ **'**_

' _So why are you reaching out now?_ _ **'**_

' _Like I said, we've been on these guys trail for a very long time. We'd like to finally put an end to them._ _ **'**_

"I found the virus!" Winn exclaimed loudly.

"Don't kill it yet." Felicity ordered. "I'm not done with her."

' _I can send you the files we have on them. Everything we've collected over the years._ _ **'**_

' _Nice offer, but I still don't trust you. I don't know your name._ _ **'**_

' _You can call me Oracle._ _ **'**_

Felicity's hands froze on the keyboard. Just for a moment, though. Then she turned to Winn. "Destroy the virus."

' _I'm sorry, but I have to go. We'll talk again soon. On my terms this time._ _ **'**_

Then the connection was lost as Winn killed the Trojan horse virus.

"It's odd that she wants to help. Do we trust her?" Barry spoke first.

Felicity was still staring at the blank screen of her computer. She appeared to be in a trance. But then she looked up to her friends and something sparked in her blue eyes.

"We can trust her." She said with conviction. "But first, I want to make sure that she is who she says she is."

#

Bart had come to the conclusion that he loved this younger version of his grandfather, Barry. Sure he loved the old, grey-haired one too, but the man hadn't been long in his life before Bart had to leave to travel to the past. How Bart had come to that conclusion? For starters the massive buffet that Barry had ordered a little over half an hour ago. So when the two speedsters arrived at the loft the delivery guys were hot in their heels. Highlight the 's' at the end of guys. Barry had gone a little overboard with the food, knowing from experience a speedster's appetite. He also knew that he couldn't order too much food from one place without looking suspicious…or crazy. Bart didn't mind as his eyes were glued at the five boxes of pizza, the ten burgers (from different places), the mountain of French fries, the sushi and the list went on. The younger speedster had stars in his eyes and didn't know with which dish to start first. Barry had only told him to dig in. The only request he made was that they left some of it for Iris for when she returned from her job at the newspaper.

Sushi was out of the question. Bart had realized quickly that this food didn't agree with him. But Barry was more than happy to polish it himself.

"You did good today."Barry told Bart as he pushed away the empty box of pizza and getting a second one. "You are getting better at handling your speed. But there's still room for improvement."

Bart smiled, his mouth full with food. "Thanks gramps." Some food spilled out of his mouth, though it wasn't why Barry cringed. A guilty expression formed on Bart's face. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Barry sighed and took a bite. "I still haven't figure out what you can call me."

"Sorry."

"Stop saying that you're sorry." The older speedster sighed and pushed his pizza away. "None of this is your fault. The situation is just…weird."

"And it's because of me." Bart insisted. "I just came crushing into your lives out of nowhere. There's a reason uncle Cisco named me Impulse. I never think things through."

It was odd seeing the sober expression on Bart's face. The kid was always filled with light and excitement. Barry felt bad for the kid. He considered what he was going through. Bart was stuck in the past away from his real family, his parents his siblings – if he had any. And he dealt with it with a brave face, like nothing was wrong. It was then that Barry made a promise to himself that he would do anything in his power to get Bart back home.

Wally had considered trying the same thing they did with Reverse Flash, when he was stuck and couldn't access enough of the Speedforce to time travel. But Barry had quickly shut the idea down. Bart was inexperienced with time travel. If they attempted that it could go terribly wrong. It was a wondered how he arrived in this time period in the first place.

Barry put a comforting arm around Bart's back and looked in the familiar green eyes he saw in the mirror every day. "It's really not. No one can blame you for trying to heal yourself, alright?"

That seemed to lifts the kid's spirits. He swallowed and hugged Barry burring his head in his chest.

"So, tell me how is everyone in the future?"

If Bart wasn't as naïve he would've been suspicious of Barry's intentions. Now though, he just grinned, like Barry and all of the members of the League were familiar with.

"Everyone is good. I mean they get a little sad when one of them brings up you but they try to hide it. And no one talks about you in front of grandma Iris. That is until you came back. I've never seen grandma so happy before. It was like she got reborn."

Hearing about the future Bart came from, Barry didn't know if he should frown or smile. But Bart wasn't done talking.

"And dad and aunt Dawn always told me bedtime stories about your adventures, just like grandma Iris told them every night. Uncle Wally is now the main speedster of Central City, he took the mantle of the Flash a few years after you disappeared. The original League is dismantle because they are either too old to fight villains or they passed away. But their kids have replaced them and they're doing amazing."

"Why didn't Wally or your parents teach you how to use your powers? Is it because you are too young?"

Bart made a displeased grimace. "Uncle Wally is too busy with the League and my parents don't want me to use my speed. They are afraid that if I take the superhero path you took then they would lose me too."

Barry held in a gasp. "But knowing how to control our powers is essential. Even if you don't become like me, you should be able to have a grasp of them. It's dangerous not knowing what your body is capable off."

Bart gave him a knowing look. "That's what grandma Iris always told them. But no matter how many times she persisted, my dad didn't want to hear about it. He gets his stubbornness from you." He chuckled.

Barry joined him and the look on both their faces was so similar it would be freaky if someone saw them. "Do you know…"Barry paused not sure how to phrase his next question. "Was it hard for your dad to grow up as a speedster without me there?"

"I don't really know." Bart said feeling a little guilty. "I mean both my dad and aunt Dawn had uncle Wally to look after them and uncle Cisco is like a master trainer." The younger speedster chuckled again.

"That he is." Barry agreed with an amused smile playing on his lips. "But don't worry, I'm going to teach you everything about being a speedster. What you do with that then is up to you. Having these powers doesn't mean that you have to choose only one path. I'm sure that future me would have helped you if I was there."

If it was even possible, Bart grinned even more. "Thanks, gramps." And then he laughed at Barry's face.

"I'm not getting better at it, am I?"

"Nope." Bart shook his head.

It was then that Barry saw his opening and he went for it. "Hey, when I came back…did I say why I was gone for too long?"

Barry's heartbeat pickled up as he saw Bart opening his mouth. It was so easy to get the kid to talk. But then, a mischievous glim appeared on his grandson's face and Bart closed his mouth. In its place a smirk appeared.

"Nice try, grandpa Barry."

Barry laughed having been caught and shook his head. It was too easy. Maybe he didn't need to know what happened to him. Maybe it was best if he went in blind this time. After all, the knowledge might prevent him from doing what needed to be done. And what mattered most to Barry was keeping his loved ones safe.

"But I can give you a clue." Bart suddenly said.

Barry raised an eyebrow at him.

"You were in a race." Was all that Bart offered, smirking knowing more than he said. "And you won."

Barry didn't get the chance to comment on that last part because the door of the loft opened an Iris walked in looking exhausted. Bart was immediately in her space hugging her like he always did whenever he saw her.

"Grandma Iris, you're home."

"Hi, Bart." She smiled at his excitement. "What have you two been up to?" she asked looking around.

"Today was awesome." Bart took the words right out of Barry's mouth. "Barry and Wally trained me in the speed lab and then we ordered food and we talked and then I caught him trying to sniff information out of me."

"Busted." Barry chuckled. "We left some for you too." He added pointed at the chaos that surrounded him.

Iris kissed him on the lips and settled down. "That's thoughtful."

"Well, we couldn't let our favorite girl starve." He said as Iris tool a big bite out of Barry's left over pizza.

"Oh!" Iris suddenly gasped remembering something. "I've been meaning to tell you all day but I got so caught up in work. Felicity and I were talking in our girls' night at Kara's house and we thought that we should arrange for Bart and William to hang out some time."

"Wait, you guys have girls' nights?"

Apparently that was the only thing that stuck with Barry. Iris rolled her eyes and pecked his lips again.

"Sure! After Kara invited us to support Alex with her break up, we decided to do it a regular thing. We meet every week just us girls and we talk and stuff. We love having you guys around, but sometimes we just need to be just us women."

Barry looked like a sad puppy that he didn't know about their nights. But if Iris hadn't told him he bet that the other guys didn't know about it too.

"So, what about the meeting William and Bart?" he asked instead.

"Well," Iris begun. "We don't know for how long Bart is going to stay with us and it can get lonely being around adults all the time. So, we thought having a friend is important and you know William and, despite Oliver being his father, from what you've told me he is a very good kid. I think it's a good idea for them to hang out."

Barry nodded liking the idea too. "Okay, then. I'll talk with Oliver about it. I just won't say that part you said about him." He grinned.

Iris smacked him playfully in the arm. "You know I didn't mean it like a bad thing." She scoffed. "It's just that Oliver is a little…not exactly a people's person. And before the Island he was a womanizer."

Barry only laughed. "I know. I know."

#

 _The same day Barry came out of the Speedforce_

It had been two hours since Barry Allen, the Flash, had been thrown out of the extra-dimensional energy prison. An entity that existed in a parallel dimension, out of reach to everyone but those that it chose worthy to carry it inside their bodies. By now, Barry was with his loved ones; hugging and laughing and catching up. It was a joyful day in Joe West's household. The atmosphere rivaled the one after Barry had come out of his coma. The happiness had them all so filled that neither suspected that Barry wasn't the only one that came out.

Miles away from the West house, in the exact same spot the Speedforce had let the Flash out, another portal opened. A figure stepped out of it kneeling as it jumped in the real world. The new speedster slowly lifted his face and marveled at the world. Mismatched eyes glimmered with happiness and his lips stretched as a huge smile appeared on his half burned face. Savitar felt the sun's light tingle his exposed skin again and he opened his arms to bath in its glory.

"I'm back!"


	41. The other Bart

Chapter 41

 _July 1682_

The summer sun was shining brightly on the clear blue sky and the lack of clouds made the unbearable hot desert temperature feel even hotter than it already burned. There, somewhere in the middle of the Sahara desert, a yellow and black figure fell on its knees from exhaustion and lack of water. Eobard Thawne had seen much better days. And he blamed the Flash for his current -unfortunate – situation. It had started like it always did. Eobard had calculated the perfect plan to take Barry out of the equation once and for all and for the most part his brilliant plan had worked. They always did. That was until Barry- freaking- Allen had turned the tables on him. AGAIN! Defeated once more by his mortal enemy and low at strength, Eobard had retreated and hid away in this time period, until he regained his strength. But now, the Reverse Flash had another obstacle to overcome. If he could get alive out of this desert without water and his speed still low, then…well, he didn't know what would happen then. Eobard could only focus on the task ahead –and that was staying alive. He would deal with Barry after that.

Eobard whimpered as the hot sand burned his skin. The dehydration made everything so much more painful. Delusions, Eobard's vision had become blurry at first and then his mind started playing tricks on him. His mouth had gotten dry. He attempted to keep it shut so he could salvage as much saliva as he could. But the unbearable hot atmosphere made it almost impossible to breathe. And Eobard was now gasping for breath like a dying man.

 _Curse Barry Allen!_

 _Curse him again!_

 _Curse him a million times!_

Eobard crawled slowly, one knee after the other. Not that it made much difference. He had lost track of direction a long time ago. As the wind moved the sand around and the sand hills changed until he could reach them, it was hard to point out where he was going.

Eobard stopped moving, the exhaustion overtaking even the last of his willpower. He was so tired. Even with the Speedforce inside his body. Even a speedster could hold out for so long. He was going to die there. In this God forsaken desert, in the middle of nowhere, in a barbaric time period. What had he been thinking…coming here?

It was then that Eobard felt it. His speed might have been low, but he was still connected to the Speedforce. There was a spark and then a Speedforce portal opened and a speedster came out.

Eobard's blue eyes fell on the dark green suit. He would have thought that the Flash had brought Green Arrow with him to hunt Eobard, but the suit was clearly made for a speedster and the bright reverse lightning bold on the metahuman's chest made it clear to those who might get confused. The newcomer stared down at the Reverse Flash and shook his head.

"This is an all-time low I hadn't seen, Eobard." the green speedster said, his voice filled with both astonishment and disappointment at the same time. He made a move towards Eobard and the yellow speedster shrunk backward as if to get away. "Come on, let's get you home, old man."

The new speedster didn't give him much of a warning. He just picked Thawne at super speed and run away. The sparks of electricity felt familiarly pleasurable to Eobard as the two of them run through the Speedforce. But the yellow speedster couldn't relax. Not when he didn't know who he was dealing with. Another spark and they jumped out of the portal entering the real world once again.

Eobard didn't land gently, but forcefully on his butt. Slowly he lifted his face and glared at the other speedster.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The green speedster snorted at him and then smirked arrogantly. "Your mean face doesn't work on me – dad!"

Eobard's blue eyes widened and then narrowed. "I don't have a son."

"Not yet." The other pointed out.

Eobard got up and eyed the younger man from head to toe. "So, you're my son from the future." He said doubtfully. "You don't mind if that doesn't exactly sit well with me."

But the other speedster didn't seem to care. "Not at all, dad. It's not like I was born the normal way, anyway."

The yellow speedster got up to his feet but never took his piercing blue eyes away from the other standing opposite him. "And I repeat. I. Don't. Have. A son." he said slowly but with a firm tone. "I don't have kids at all. Whatever you think you can fool out of me-"

"Oh, I'm not trying to fool you, Eobard." His pretended son interrupted him.

Eobard narrowed his eyes on the green suit again. "If you were really my son, then you'd know that I hate being interrupted."

The green-suited speedster smirked again –even more evilly this time. "I do know. And that's why I love doing it so much."

Eobard's nose fluttered. "That's a pretty vague answer." He shot back.

"What can I say, you raised me like a Thawne."

Eobard paused but took a step forward just to see what the other speedster would do. When he didn't move, Thawne tipped his head and stared obsessively at him.

"So, let's say that I do believe you." He started after a small –but long for the two speedsters- period of time. "That I'm your father I mean. H-"

But he was interrupted yet again when the younger speedster snorted loudly. "Don't worry, you didn't fell in love or anything." He chuckled.

Eobard raised an amused eyebrow, now interested to hear more.

"Like I said, I wasn't created the normal way."

"So, why haven't you taken off your mask yet?" Eobard asked. "Do I not get to look at my son?"

An irritated look passed on the other speedster's face. "My name is Thaddeus. Thaddeus Thawne." He spat. "And I don't think you're going to take well to seeing my face."

The amused expression on Eobard's face vanished immediately like it was never there. "And why is that?" he greeted his teeth.

There was a pause and then… "On second thought," Thaddeus smirked evilly. "I do like pissing you off, old man."

And then he took off the mask. What happened next was in a fragment of an instant. Eobard's eyes fell on the familiar face he hated seeing so much. His irises expanded and his face turned red with hatred. Then, he attacked the younger speedster holding him pressed against the wall by the throat.

"How dare you call yourself my flesh and blood while you wear **his** face?!" he hissed with malice.

But to his greatest displeasure, Thaddeus chuckled, managing to irritate Eobard even more. Eobard tightened his grip on his throat. "You have **his** face, but my colors, my blond hair, my blue eyes. How!?" he roared.

Thaddeus laughed loudly and not even when he chocked didn't he stop. "Ah, I always thought you had a big, fat, crush on Barry Allen." He laughed with his heart. "Besides, they say that there's a thin line between love and hate."

That was the last straw for Eobard. He struck Thaddeus on the face, knocking the younger speedster to the ground. When Thaddeus looked up his lip was split and a single line of blood was dripping down his chin. He hadn't lost the smirk, though. Eobard was breathing heavily, his mind not willing to process the kid's words. Not that he wanted too. It's just that Thaddeus' line had hit him so unexpectedly, that even he was cast speechless.

"How dare you!?" he roared.

Thaddeus climbed back on his feet. "Oh, come on. Poor Eobard always wanted to meet his idol and when he did he became Flash's sidekick. But soon his fairytale was over when Barry realized that Eobard was not a real hero –that he caused trouble in order to be needed - and turned him in. Eobard vowed to become a better person –to be the hero the Flash wanted him to be. And when he accomplished that, he ran back in time to be the Flash's sidekick once again. But when he arrived, Barry had already found a new one –Wally West." Thaddeus sighed dramatically. "Kid Flash was the perfect sidekick. Eobard was so jealous that someone else had filled his place that his love for the Flash turned to anger and that was the moment he promised to make the Flash's life miserable forever." He finished. "This is how your feud with Allen started." He pierced the older speedster with his eyes. "You are such a brat, Eobard."

Eobard glared passionately at him. "Does your little trip down memory lane has a point or is it just to waste my time?"

Thaddeus burst out in laughter. He tilled his head backward and roared loudly holding his belly. Eobard did not find this a bit comical. He frowned darkly but waited for Thaddeus to collect himself.

"Oh, Speedforce, wow, I mean…" he said in between laughter. "You are so completely consumed by your stupid grudge that you can't even admit it to yourself." Then he suddenly sobered up. "Well, it's not like I care anyway. What's important is why I'm here."

"Yea, I was hoping we would get to that," Eobard replied sarcastically.

"My point is that you and Barry were always destined to be rivals. The universe needs to always be in balance. When it was necessary it evolved creating the Flash, but the scales turned towards the good side. So then it created you in order to correct that balance. But no matter how many times you two fought, how many plans you made or what alliances you created, Barry Allen always thrived above you." Eobard glared at him and Thaddeus smirked with pleasure. "So, in time you realized that you were never going to defeat him. That in the end of the day only an Allen can beat an Allen. So, when Barry's beloved grandson, **Bart** ," he spat the name. "- was born, you stole his DNA and made a clone –me. You made some adjustments of course and here I am."

"I always hated that boy. Part Allen, part Thawne. It disgusts me knowing that we are related."

"I did wonder what you two were. His cousin, his uncle, his nephew?"

"Not important," Eobard growled amusing Thaddeus, who chuckled.

"Anyway, you raised me as your son and taught me everything. And being raised as your son included having the same hatred for Bart as you had for Barry. I went after him, tried to kill him." He admitted. "He was an easy prey, so ignorant of his powers and so naïve." He chuckled evilly. "But dear old grandpa Barry always managed to appear out of the Speedforce and save him. It was always so quick, I'm not even sure that Bart knows. So I went looking for you, to give me some pointers about what to do with Barry. To destruct him long enough to end Bart. But while I was gone, Barry returned and sent his grandson to the past where he is protected by his younger, much more capable self." He finished with anger.

Eobard shared Thaddeus' flared anger. "So, why pay me a visit, now?"

Thaddeus smirked. "Because I have a plan to get rid of our enemies for good and I thought you would want in on the action."

Eobard's ears picked up with interest. This sounded too good to be true, but the proposal was hard to resist. "What plan is that?"

"You're gonna have to trust me. I am an Allen raised as a Thawne. I'm the perfect weapon."

#

Oliver was staring aimlessly outside the window of his office. He still had some work to do, but he couldn't find it in him to concentrate. The fact that Felicity was searching for this Oracle hacker had him worried. And the fact that they still didn't know anything about the 9th circle just added to the pile. And Kara was still waiting to hear news from Lena about the secret Luthor facility that probably held the Worldkillers.

And William. William was most frequent on his mind the past few days, ever since Barry told him he wanted him and Bart to become friends. Oliver worried that getting William involved with the speedsters would get his son into trouble again.

"Mr. Queen!" his secretary calling his name pulled him out of his thoughts.

Oliver glanced at Bonny and nodded with his head for her to tell him what she wanted.

"Senator Domini is here to see you."

Oliver frowned confused. The Senator was there? For what? In all his years of being elected Domini had never shown interest in Oliver or Star City. So why was he here now? Bonny –bless her soul- waited patiently for Olive to tell her what to do. Well, it's not like he had many options. Domini was the Senator, Oliver couldn't just refuse to see him.

"Bring him in, Bonny." He told her softly.

The secretary nodded kindly and her head disappeared out of the door.

Less than a minute later the doors of his office opened again and the familiar pot-bellied figure of the Senator popped in. Oliver got up from his chair to greet the more important man properly.

"Senator!" Oliver offered his hand.

Domini smiled behind his mustache and shook the mayor's hand. "Mayor, Queen!" he acknowledged with respect.

"Oliver is fine." Oliver waved his hand dismissively.

"Then you should call me Nate." Domini insisted.

Oliver let out a half sigh half chuckle and pointed for the other man to sit. Nate gladly sat on the chair that was offered to him and Oliver followed suit after that. Oliver straightened his tie on his plain, dark blue shirt and boarded his blue eyes on the Senator.

"I admit, I am surprised by your visit, Nate." He began a light conversation. "Star City is not exactly on your top ten favorite cities to visit." He chuckled jokingly.

Domini joined too, but his chuckle was not as light ad Oliver's. "I have a confession too. My trip has to do with the upcoming election."

"You're seeking for votes?" Oliver asked flatly.

He didn't know how to feel about Domini's motives coming to his city. Nate shook his head and chuckled before getting up and moving to the big window to stare outside.

"No, I wouldn't come asking for votes from a man that clearly supports vigilantism. You and I are on very different boats."

Oliver frowned, not liking the Senator's words at all. He tightened his jaw and put on a calm face before joining Domini in front of the window. The view ahead of them was simply magnificent. Oliver would never get tired of watching his city and his people.

"I've never claimed to support vigilantism."

Nate spared him a glance. "But you never did anything to stop it either." He said smartly.

Oliver was pushed to a corner. He tried not to frown and cleared his throat.

"From the way I see it this city would have been blown up or taken over by the new wave of criminals. It's because of those vigilantes that we are allowed to walk these streets every day. The police aren't capable of catching the toughest of these bad guys." Oliver explained, though he wasn't sure how much of what he was saying was reaching Domini's ears. "I have a son, Nate. I didn't know about him until last year, but when I did I wanted to make up for the lost time. But, he was taken and held hostage no long after."

Domini turned and looked at Oliver. There was emotion in his sharp dark eyes. And Oliver knew he had caught the Senator by surprise.

"I didn't know about that, Oliver, I'm sorry."

Oliver shook his head. "It was the Green Arrow how rescued him. It happened very fast, he was in and out with William and that's why you never heard of it. We didn't want to make it public." He continued feeding him lies (partially). Oliver saw Domini nod with understanding. "I owe Green Arrow a dept. And that's why I think people like him are important." He finished. "But I don't understand why you don't like them."

Senator looked at Oliver and then turned his gaze to the world. "Why did you decide to become Mayor of Star City?"

Oliver didn't understand where that question fit, but he decided to answer anyway. "I love my city and I want it to prosper. I thought that the previous Mayor and the one before him had failed in doing that, so I decided to try myself." He admitted. "Now, I admit, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started." He chuckled humorously and Domini joined him. "But I think I've learned the ropes and I'm trying my very best to make my City better."

There was something in Nate's eyes. Something that Oliver couldn't put his finger on, but it sent him chills down his spine. Domini didn't take his eyes away from the window.

"Star City is dying, Oliver." He said flatly. "And yours isn't the only one." He continued sounding sorrowful.

Oliver frowned. "I don't understand."

This time Domini did turn and stared at him. "You were right before. These vigilantes are the only thing that keeps the world from been taken over by those new criminals. But I'm afraid that the apple is already rotten. The world, the people, they have spun out of control and I'm not sure that they can be put back together." He explained. "The vigilantes are helping but their way is not enough. Not because they're doing their jobs wrong, but because the world has changed and needs another approach. We need something drastic, something to shake the world."

"And what are you suggesting that we do?" Oliver asked suspiciously.

Domini chuckled. "Oh, I've no idea, Oliver. All I'm seeing is that the world is too sick and we need a different cure because the medicine we have aren't working. I'm too old to use this." He pointed his index finger at his head. "But perhaps a younger blood can think of a solution." He eyed Oliver intelligently.

Oliver felt the air stuck in his throat. "Senator I…"

But Domini didn't let him finish his sentence –not that Oliver knew how to. "I think that I've overstayed my welcome. You have business to get to. I shouldn't be holding you back."

Before Oliver realized what was happening, Senator Nathan Domini had left his office as unexpectedly as he had shown up, leaving behind a very confused Oliver.

#

Bart had been anxious about meeting William. His behavior was so unlike the energetic younger speedster that Iris had been suspicious. The three of them, Barry, Iris, and Bart walked to the park that they were supposed to meet Oliver, William, Samantha and Felicity. Bart fidgeted with his t-shirt and stopped in his trucks. From the look on his face, Barry could guess that he was debating running off.

"Why are you so nervous? We talked about this." He asked his grandson.

Bart raised his familiar green eyes and looked at Barry with his puppy dog eyes. "What if something happens?" he said concerned. "What if I can't control my speed again and start speeding in front of everyone?"

Barry sighed and kneeled down. "Hey, look at me." He said softly placing his hands on Bart's shoulders. "It's going to be okay. Trust me. We've been practicing together and you've been doing amazing. You don't need to worry."

But that didn't seem to comfort Bart. His eyes were still filled with sadness and anxiety. Iris placed her hand next to Barry's and rubbed softly her grandson's arm.

"Hey!" she called for his attention.

When Bart greeted her with familiar greed eyes filled with love, Iris felt her heart flutter and a deeper connection form between them. She smiled sweetly at the boy and brushed his hair.

"Why are you really worried?" she asked him.

Bart sighed heavily. "It's true that I fear that I might lose control of my speed. But also, I know William in the future. He was one of Dad's best friends. And I don't know how to talk to him when I see him in my age."

Barry understood why Bart was acting the way he was, but there was one particular thing that stuck to him. "Was?" he let the question floating in the air.

Bart knew what Barry was asking him. He shook his head.

"I can't tell you."

Barry nodded accepting the answer. "Alright, but you don't need to be afraid. This William is much different than the one you have met in the future."

"And remember that he is probably just as anxious as you are," Iris added.

Barry nodded agreeing too. "And if you feel like you are about to lose control of your speed just remember the exercise we did." He advised wisely. "And don't worry, I'm going to be there too. If I feel the speedforce becoming too much I'm going to interfere."

Bart felt much calmer now. He smiled at his grandparents and hugged them one at a time. "Thanks."

"Now," Barry got up again. "Do you remember the story we're going to tell William and his mother about why you're staying with us?"

Bart nodded. "Sure thing, gramps."

"And if they ask you about your past you tell them that you don't want to talk about it," Iris advised.

Bart nodded his head again. Barry took a deep breath and motioned for them to follow him. The three Allens walked to the green grass of Central City Park and joined Oliver, Felicity, Samantha and William who had already settled.

"Sorry, we're late." Barry chuckled. "We had a little disagreement on how many sandwiches to bring with."

Oliver shook his head at the speedster's awkwardness, but there was a smile on his lips. "Don't worry about it. You were only a bit late." He said giving Barry a knowing look.

Barry nodded very discretely at him. William waved shyly but excited at him.

"Hi, Barry."

The speedster smiled back at the boy. "Hello, William, this is Bart. Iris and I are fostering him for a while. Once Joe saw the obvious resembles he knew that we would be perfect to take care of him for a while and well…" he shrugged.

"And I'm Iris, Barry's wife." Iris decided to take over speaking to unburden Barry.

Samantha smiled and shook her hand. Felicity and Oliver obviously knew who they were –who they really were. "I'm Samantha and that's William."

"Barry talks a lot about you. William is a good kid."

Samantha felt her chest fill with pride. She looked down at her son and smiled. "He is a very good kid." She petted his hair. "Do you want to tell Barry the news?"

The man in question eyed them with interest. William blushed and grinned.

"We had a test in physics yesterday and I got an A." he told his teacher proudly.

A huge smile appeared on Barry's face. He glimmered with happiness and pride for William and he shot forward to hug the kid.

"That's amazing, William. I'm so proud of you. Well done!" he congratulated him and then turned to Oliver. "Did you know about this?"

Oliver was already grinning with pride. "I was the first one he called."

"I couldn't have done it without Barry." William said.

The speedster watched warmly the kid and kissed his head. "You were already amazing on your own." He told him. "You just needed just a bit of help, the rest of it you did it on your own." He chuckled. "Hey, did your dad buy you a present?"

William's eyes widened and his lips broke into a big smile. "He did!" he exclaimed happily. "He got me this football and the new action figures of the League."

Barry glanced at Oliver for just a second and then turned his eyes back at William. "Hey, how about you and Bart take the ball and play, alright?"

William nodded eagerly. But Bart had a lost look on his face. He grabbed Barry's arm tightly and refused to let go. The older speedster stared down at the boy from the future and felt sadness.

"Hey!" he whispered softly in his ear. "It's going to be okay. I'm right here." He said reassuringly. "But you need to have some fun too. Can you do that?"

Bart stared at him with big, wide eyes. The fear was still apparent on his face. He gulped and nodded.

"Just breathe, okay? Just breathe."

Barry felt Bart relax a bit and soon the hand that held his arm hostage loosened. Bart took in a deep breath and got up. He looked once more at Barry for confirmation and strength and then breathed again. _You are an Allen. You are brave!_ He thought to himself. Then he turned the other way and faced William. He was so much different than the big, board man he had seen in his house. It felt strange seeing his father's best friend so young. William gave Bart a small smile.

"Do you want to go over there and play?"

And Bart nodded. "Sure."

The grownups watched as the younger kids run off. Oliver was a proud father as he watched his son interact with Bart. Barry felt somewhat the same way. He wasn't' there yet, but he and Bart had grown close over the past few days. But despite the joyful days, Barry couldn't help but feel that his future grandson was hiding something from them. It had been Iris who had brought it up first one night while they laid in bed. Barry had been relieved that he wasn't the only one who had picked it up. But…this wasn't the moment to discuss that.

"So, the wife/husband is resent, right?" thank Samantha for starting a conversation. Between the archer, the speedster, the hacker and the speedster's wife, neither knew how to start a conversation that didn't have to do with superheroism.

Iris grinned without even realizing it and her eyes drifted to the ring on her finger. "Very resent. We've been married for about a week."

"And how is married life treating you?" Samantha seemed actually interested in knowing. "Are you guys still in the honeymoon phase, or has married life caught up to you?" she chuckled lightly.

Barry and Iris glanced at each other. "Iris and I have been practically married our whole lives. We just made it official."

"And something you should know about these two is that they are always in the honeymoon phase," Felicity added.

Samantha, Oliver, and Felicity laughed at the blushing couple.

"That is- that is true," Oliver confirmed.

"Enough about us." Iris clapped her hands. "How have you guys been?"

"Yea," Barry agreed. "How have you been dealing with William changing the dynamics between the three of you?"

"I think William is adjusting pretty well." Samantha looked at Felicity and Oliver for confirmation.

"I think so." Felicity nodded her head agreeing. "I mean, he only stayed with us two times but we got along pretty well."

"And I didn't hear him having any nightmares," Oliver added.

It was like Samantha had an epiphany. "Yes!" she exclaimed loudly. "He's been sleeping better at home too. Ever since he opened up to us about his fears…"

"And he wouldn't have without whatever scientific nerdiness you told him, Barry."

The CSI looked confused at Oliver. "What do you mean?"

Oliver just shrugged. "He said something about twigs."

"But that doesn't have to do-"

"The important thing is.." Samantha spoke up. "That you convinced him to open up to us. He listens to you. Thank you. You are going to be an amazing father one day." She said honestly.

Barry could only blush a scarlet red that rivaled the one of his suit. Speechless, he smiled and nodded his head. Then, he looked lovingly at his wife and finally, his eyes drifted away at Bart and William, who were playing. As his fatherly instincts grew for the boy from the future, one question lingered in his mind: Was he going to be a dad to his kids at all, or was he destined to give up his family again?

#

Detective August Heart had finally made up his mind. Tomorrow morning he was going to walk up to Joe and ask him to arrange for him to meet the Flash. It had taken him a while to realize that the tremors in his hands were actually his speed starting to show. August had made that realization completely by accident. He was cooking and suddenly he knocked over the case with the eggs. His eyes had widened in horror and his hands instinctually reached out to grab the case despite knowing that he couldn't. And then time had slowed down. August blinked surprised at the slowly falling eggs. Then his eyes drifted around him. The clock on the wall had stopped moving. And then he reached out and took hold of the eggs.

August knew that he needed to learn more about his new found super speed. He also knew that the best person to help him with that was the Flash. So he had tried to find the scarlet speedster on his own. Surprisingly, it was very hard to do so despite the hero being on TV most days. That left August with only one option. He had to ask Joe. His partner was the only one on the force who knew how to contact the Flash. Well, now that he thought about it, perhaps Iris could get in touch with the hero too. But that raised another problem. If Joe found out that he asked his daughter to do such thing, August was sure Captain Singh will be searching for the pieces of his body all across the country.

No, he was going to ask Joe.

He had made up his mind.

It was just then that two whooshes entered his apartment. August moved startled on his feet. In front of him, in the middle of his living room, stood two masked men. One wore a yellow and black suit and the other a green one. But both had an emblem with a lightning bolt on their chests.

"Who are you and what do you want?" August demanded trying not to show to the metahumans how much they had frightened him.

The yellow speedster turned to the green one. "Are you sure this is him?"

"Yes!" The other replied shortly.

"Who are you?" August demanded again, louder this time.

The two speedsters looked at him unimpressed. Finally, the green one talked.

"I am Inertia and this is…Reverse." He said thinking it was better to avoid revealing the full name of his father to the man that was supposed to be the Flash's on and off partner in the future.

"And what do you want?" August didn't even try not to sound spooked this time.

"We are like you." Inertia continued talking. "We are speedsters and we need your help."

August frowned suspiciously at them. "You need my help? Why? I don't even know how to use my speed. And by the way, how do you know about that?"

"We are from the future." Reverse finally spoke.

"The future." August chuckled and eyed them telling them that they weren't going to fool him.

"Yes," Inertia confirmed. "Speedsters have the ability to travel through time. Even the Flash has done it."

August's eyes widened at the information and tilled his head slightly with interest. "Really?"

Inertia nodded. "Really. Like I said, we are here because we need your help. With stopping the Flash."

August lost any interest he had at once. His face darkened and his body stiffened. "The Flash is a hero." He said coldly at the two speedsters.

"He is." Inertia confirmed. "But he has lost his way. He has done things that he thinks are for the greater good, but they only lead to catastrophe. Our assignment is to help him find his way again, or stop him from hurting anyone if he doesn't cooperate."

But that answer didn't satisfy the detective. August narrowed his eyes at the two costumed speedsters.

"I don't know you. But I know that Flash is a hero. Why should I believe you?"

"Because of what happened to your brother."

Out of all the things the speedster could have said, that was not one of them. Knowing that he had August's attention, Inertia continued.

"In the future, you ask the Flash to help you learn how to use your speed. He agrees and you become his newest sidekick." Inertia started explaining. "Then you ask him to help you find your brother's killer. And Flash does. Even though he never trusts you with his identity, despite the fact that he knows who you are, you trust him completely. And when you find them, those responsible for Jorge's death, the Flash stops you from seeking revenge. You see, the Flash didn't agree with the way you wanted to avenge your brother, so he fought you. And while you two fought for the type of justice you believed in, the real killer got away and finally was killed by some straighter. The Flash robbed you from getting justice, help us with our assignment and we'll help you avenge Jorge."

The proposal was tempting. So very tempting. The question that remained was: did August believe what Inertia told him? But more importantly, was revenge more important than doing what was right?

 **Next: Lena has news and Felicity tracks down Oracle**


	42. Making Progress

Chapter 42

"All I'm saying is how can you stand Cat Grant as your boss?" Lois was saying.

It was a late Saturday night and Kara's apartment was crowded once again. The women drove from across cities to spend their night together away from their guys. Except from the usual Iris, Caitlin, Dinah and Felicity as well as Sara and Alex and recently Zatanna and Kendra, this time the girl of steel had invited her cousin's soon-to-be-wife to join the party. And Lois was more than a little happy to attend. With Clark gone for over a year, life had become dull and miserable. Well, actually, dull Lois' life wasn't -there was always something going on in Metropolis - but it wasn't as exciting as it once was. Lena was running late. She said something about finishing up some important work over the phone. But Kara was expecting her friend to show up any time now. The girls had been debating if they should invite Samantha over too to hang out with them. In the end, William had taken the decision out of their hands when he caught a cold and his mother had to stay home and look after him.

Kara frowned at Lois. "I mean, she's not that bad." she cringed at her own words. "She is demanding." she added thinking over exactly what to say. "And a little quirky. But she has been a very good mentor to me and friend as both Kara and Supergirl."

Lois sighed lightly and shrugged. "I guess she has her moments." she said not really believing it. "My experience with Cat has not been that great. While she was working at the Planet she continuously hitted on Clark and tried to break us up _and_ she tried to get me fired multiple times."

"I'm guessing you fired back at her." Kara said all too sure that Lois had done some nasty things to her boss too.

Lois actually looked sheepish for a moment. "Well, I wasn't an exact angel." she admitted making Kara laugh.

By the kitchen counter Sara and Alex had a conversation of their own.

"Next time I'm gonna get you." Alex said casually.

Sara smirked and sipped at her drink. "You wish, Danvers."

Both women chuckled. Alex was getting better at fighting. She was extraordinary already with the training that she had, but the former member of the League of Assassins had still come on top all of the times. But the D.E.O. agent had gotten better after their matches. Soon, she's going to be as great as Sara. A pregnant moment passed between them. They looked at each other with humor in their eyes and then chuckled again. They did that often. Neither cared who was better or not. Their friendship was something unexpected. They enjoyed talking about their adventures.

"So," Sara started the conversation again. "Have you thought about what you're going to do? Are you going to adopt finally?"

Alex sighed heavily. "I'm not sure." she admitted. "I've looked at some websites and I've visited the clinic. I just…" her eyes drifted momentarily to the floor. "I'm not sure it's the best decision at the time. I mean, our lives are insane right now and with so much going on -with so much danger- I'm not sure I should put the life of a baby at risk."

Sara nodded with a sober expression overtaking her face. "Alex, we are always going to be in dangerous situations." she told her friend calmly. "With the lives that we lead it's not going to be this and then nothing. We are always going to be in trouble."

Alex sighed. "I know." she sipped at her drink. "That's why I'm having second thoughts."

Sara eyed her. "You shouldn't really. Remember, you broke up with Maggie, a woman that made you happy, because you knew that you wanted to have kids. If you decide not to adopt, then what was the point of going through the heartbreak?" Alex didn't say anything. She just shucked in a breath and her eyes watered for a moment. "We both know that you didn't make that decision lightly. And I know how hard it was for you, so I know that you knew what your real priorities were. The question is, what is holding you back now?"

"You know if you want your baby to be completely yours you could always get a sperm donor." Zatanna's voice said cheerfully as the Witch approached the two women. "Sorry, I didn't mean to listen in." she offered them an apologetic smile.

Alex cringed and Sara mirrored her expression unknowingly. "'I'm not so sure that's better. Being pregnant for nine months and do what we do…it's not ideal." she shook her head.

Zatanna simply shrugged not feeling offended by the rejection and smiled at them.

"Well, it was just a suggestion."

"Anyway, like I said, I don't know if I can do it." Alex said sadly. "I don't know if I can raise a kid on my own."

"But that's the thing." Sara's blue eyes glowed. "You're not alone. You have Kara and you have all of us. I think Aunt Sara suits me." she chuckled.

Zatanna joined in and a ghost smile appeared on Alex's lips.

"And look at Oliver." the blonde assassin added. "He has William and although he is partially responsible for him he is doing great. And even if William's mother wasn't in the picture, we would all help Ollie out. And Barry and Iris just got married. You think Mr. Good Samaritan won't have kids of his own?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sara was right. Zatanna laughed and nodded. She only knew the speedster for a few weeks, nearly a month, and even she knew that Barry was a family guy.

Alex chuckled too. "Right." she agreed, but then her expression turned thoughtful. "Wait, can he even have kids? With the super speed and everything."

"On the contrary, his speed must make him pretty fertile." Zatanna snorted.

"Yea," Sara was nodding her head. "I imagine Iris being pregnant with eight babies the first time."

As soon as the words left her mouth the three women shared a brief look and then burst out laughing. From the living room, the rest of the women stopped their conversations and turned to look at them weirdly. But they were laughing too hard to care about providing them with an explanation.

After their laughter died down Sara eyed Alex with a soft smile. "I bet speedster kids are a handful to handle -even when one of the parents is a speedster himself. So, they are probably going to need babysitters -meaning us, because how can you hire someone else without giving away the powers?" she said smartly. "So, don't worry about that. When you get your baby you won't be alone in raising it, we will all help you. We are one big family now."

Alex took in Sara's words and nodded feeling grateful at her and more relaxed. "Thank you, that means a lot."

"Don't thank me yet." Sara grimaced. "You know how screwed up the kid is going to be with all the shit that's in each of our heads."

Caitlin might be able to turn into the fearsome Frost, but at the moment she was very fearful of the look Felicity and Iris were giving her. The fact that Dinah and Kendra had gathered around her was not helping at all. She felt like a caged mockingjay.

"So," Felicity started eyeing her like a shark.

"So…?"

"Have you been seeing anyone lately?"

Caitlin frowned. "No."

"Are you interested in anyone?" it was Iris who asked this time.

Caitlin gave her the same look she gave Felicity. "Not really."

Dinah snorted. "Are you sure?"

It only gained her a glare. "Positive." the doctor spat and then narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to set me up?"

"Do you want us to?" Felicity asked eagerly.

"We just think that it's time for you to find someone, Caitlin." Iris added. "To not be alone anymore."

"Weren't you the one who said that a woman doesn't need a man to make her happy last time?"

Iris looked guilty having been caught. "Well…"

"Think about the amazing sex." Felicity blurted out.

"The meaningful one that you have with the one you are destined with." Kendra added with a dreamy expression.

Caitlin looked longingly at Kendra's expression and then frowned. "I'm convinced that my destiny is to always get hurt."

The girls started objecting immediately.

"Don't say that."

"There is someone for you out there."

But Caitlin only snorted. "With my luck he either hasn't been born or he's dead."

That only gained her a disapproving glare from all of them. "You shouldn't think like that." Kendra scolded her.

"Why are you so interested in my love life? Why don't you find someone for Dinah? She's been single longer than me."

Felicity gasped, a sparkle filling her eyes, and opened her mouth to say something. She was interrupted by the Black Canary, though, who glared heavily at the computer genius.

"Don't you dare." she growled.

Felicity pointed her finger at Dinah. "That's why!" she gasped. "She'll kill me."

"And what do you think Frost will do if I let her out?" Caitlin fixed her with a look.

Felicity didn't reply. She frowned and tilted her head to the side. Suddenly a beeping noise came from her purse. The blonde fished her phone out and gave the doctor a last look.

"We're not finished." she warned.

Then she got up and walked away looking through her phone. Her eyes widened. A squeal escaped her lips.

"Gotcha!" she exclaimed loudly. "Dinah, can I talk to you?"

The Black Canary walked to her sporting a confused expression on her face.

"Can you come with me tomorrow? I found Oracle and I'm going to confront her. Can I have you as back up?" she asked urgently.

Dinah nodded her head furiously. "Of course, for sure." she agreed quickly. "Where are we going?"

"Gotham City."

Kara's ears perked up when she heard the doorbell. "That must be the delivery man." she said as she got to her feet and rushed to open the door.

Only it wasn't the delivery man. It was Lena Luthor, who was running late.

"Lena!" Kara welcomed her friends giving her a big hug.

Lena chuckled with her friend's excitement and returned the hug. "Hi, Kara. Sorry I'm late."

"No, don't worry. Don't worry at all." the other said quickly. "Come in."

"I brought wine." Lena shook an expensive looking bottle of red wine with her right hand.

Kara let out a relieved breath and smiled brightly. "Thanks, you're a lifesaver." she told Lena taking the bottle from her hands. "At the rate Alex and Sara are drinking we're going to run out soon."

That got a chuckle out of the good Luthor. Lena waved at the ladies and greeted them like always as Kara was setting the liquid on the kitchen island. Though, she didn't make a move to walk further into the small apartment. Instead, her strong-willed eyes remained glued on Kara.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked at the blonde's confused expression.

Kara nodded eagerly and both of them stepped out of the door for a moment.

"What's up?"

Lena decided to get straight to the point. "I need you to contact Supergirl. She asked me to do her a favor and I need to meet with her and give her what I found."

Kara tried very hard not to make an expression that would give her away. But inside her mind she was screaming. Happiness, anxiety, eagerness...you name it. She adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and nodded afraid that if she said anything too soon the only thing that would come out of her mouth would be a squeal.

"Okay, um...just go to the roof and I'll go to my bedroom to call Supergirl without the girls hearing."

Lena seemed to accept her answer and headed for the elevator. As soon as she was out of sight, Kara stepped inside her apartment and closed the door loudly. All sets of eyes were on her at once.

"Where's Lena?" Dinah asked before someone else could.

Kara breathed heavily. "She found something!" she all but gasped.

"About where the Luthors are keeping the Worldkillers?" her sister asked a little tensed.

The Kryptonian nodded her head. "I'm assuming. I mean that was the only thing I asked her to look into. She's waiting for Supergirl on the roof right now."

"Well, go!" Felicity urged her.

"Yeah, what are you waiting for?" Sara added.

It was like the spell broke and Kara found herself able to function again. She used her super speed to rush out of her clothes and fly out of the window in her superhero suit. When she landed on the roof Lena was pacing.

"Lena." she called out to her.

The younger Luthor turned to face her, her face a complete blank canvas that didn't show any emotion. "Supergirl!" she acknowledged the hero. "I'm glad Kara was able to reach you."

Supergirl didn't respond to that. She took a few steps closer in her bright red boots closing the distance between them.

"I'm guessing you called me because you have information about the matter I asked you?"

Lena nodded as she searched for something inside her purse. She had an irritated expression on her face. It was visible even with the darkness around them. Lena took out a flash drive and held it out to Supergirl.

"You are correct." she said simply. "I found where those Kryptonian killing machines are kept. I have the location in that flash drive."

Supergirl took the drive carefully from Lena's palm and pushed her lips. "Thank you, Lena. You're help is invaluable."

The other woman didn't smile, nor did she say anything in response. She looked a little alarmed and maybe even worried. Kara really couldn't tell. It was an unfamiliar expression that she wasn't used to seeing on her friend. Lena was strong and even when she was terrified, she didn't let it show. It made Kara feel uneasy.

"There's something else." Lena said finally. "My mother broke out of prison recently. I have the video footage in the flash drive as well. Whoever broke her out made it seem like a prison riot and made her disappear in the chaos."

Supergirl didn't make an expression at the information. Really, she was expecting something like that. It was safe to assume that Lillian had the Worldkillers.

"Listen," Lena continued. "If those monsters are as dangerous as you made it sound you have to be careful. And not just you, all of the League."

Kara's heart warmed at the sentiment and a big smile spread on her face. Supergirl beamed at Lena.

"Thank you, Lena. We will." she reassured her. "I'll pass it on to the others."

"Please, keep me posted."

Supergirl nodded. "I will."

#

"When are you going to teach me how to fight with my speed?" Bart asked eagerly for the fifteenth time.

They had been working on his speed again. Barry and his grandson from the future were the only ones in the speed lab. So far the Flash had showed him how to control his speed and vibrations. He had showed him how to phase through solid objects and Barry was debating if showing how to throw lighting was a good idea. But that hadn't been enough for Bart. The kid had been asking for more. How to throw lightning, how to create a speed mirage, how to fight… especially how to fight. Barry had started to get suspicious, but he hadn't said anything till now.

"You don't need to know how to fight." he insisted. "You are just a kid."

Bart pouted, he actually pouted. "But grandpa," he whined. "What if I get into a fight?"

Barry frowned. "You should avoid fights and if you can't you don't need to use your speed."

"Against a meta." Bart clarified.

It did nothing to loosen the frown on his grandfather's face. On the contrary, Barry even went as far as narrowing his green eyes on him. Bart gulped, Barry didn't look threatening at all, but this particular look always got to the boy.

"You're not fighting crime." he said abruptly and in a way that was much more Oliver Queen than Barry Allen. Bart was about to protest, but whatever the young speedster from the future was about to say was silenced by Barry continuing. "You're just a kid." Bart rolled his eyes. "When you're eighteen you can decide what you want to do, but until then forget about it."

"You're not my father." Bart stomped his feet.

Barry arched an eyebrow at the childish display, an amusing expression overtaking his features. "Want to repeat that again?!" he challenged with humor.

Bart bit his lip and lowered his eyes on the floor. He knew it the moment the words lest his lips that he had screwed up. Guilt and shyness spread in his insides. Bart fidgeted with the seam of his suit and cleared his throat.

"I meant, if I get attacked by a supervillain." he said gaining Barry's interest. "I do need to be able to at least defend myself against that."

Barry stayed silent for the next couple of minutes, his expression thoughtful and serious -much more than Bart had been familiar with. Impulse waited patiently for a response. He had to admit that the suspense was killing him slowly. He needed to know Barry's answer as much as he needed to convince him to teach him how to fight. He had been trying to hide it as best as he could, but he was running out of time. Bart didn't need to know how to fight any meta, he needed to prepare going against another speedster. Keeping the bigger picture secret from his grandfather was a challenge. But this younger version of Barry was more trusting and unsuspicious than the older one. It was the only reason he was able to get away with it for so long. But now Bart wondered if his luck had run out. He hadn't lie in particular. He just hadn't told them the whole truth. And the guilt was eating at him slowly every day. The thing was, though, he didn't have much of a choice. Barry seemed to snap out of his thoughts and Bart looked at the older hero expectedly. It was clear that Barry had made up his mind.

"I'll show you some things - _just_ so you can defend yourself if you absolutely have to." he said and Bart could feel the _''but''_ that was coming deafening him. "But…" Bart chuckled inside his head. "Only on one condition." Barry's green eyes fixed him with a look. "You have to tell me the real reason."

Bart was sure that his face paled as much as Frost's. "I-"

"And don't lie to me."

At the demand Bart lowered his head. He couldn't look Barry in the eyes -he just couldn't. He swallowed hard, his mind running at super speed but thinking nothing at the same time. He bit his lip hard. He wanted to scream, anything but to face his grandfather's heavy stare - to get away from confessing. But he got none of those things. Instead, he lifted his head to look into mirroring green eyes, hands shaking at the point of nearly vibrating.

"I-uh…" his voice trembled.

Bart looked away not wanting Barry to see his eyes watering. Why was his vision blurring now? Why did he have to respond this way? He hated himself. He was weak. Bart felt a comforting hand on his right shoulder. He should have known that Barry would be caring.

"I haven't been completely honest with you." Bart admitted with a big breath returning his gaze to the older man.

Barry had a knowing look on his face. "I figured as much."

"Old you didn't send me back in time just to fix my aging problem." Bart confessed licking his lips. "He sent me to you so that you could protect me."

Barry frowned confused. "Protect you from what?"

" _Him!_ " Bart spat with dread and disgust. "Inertia." Locking eyes with his grandfather, Bart felt his heart flutter like wings.

The concern look that had taken over Barry's whole face was what made Bart finally cave in. The next time he opened his mouth he vomited everything to the older man, his voice shaking all the while.

"Inertia showed up about five months before you returned. I didn't know who he was and I'd never seen him before. One thing was clear, though. He wanted to kill me. And he nearly did more than a handful of times. I've no idea how I escaped death from his hands." He heard Barry inhale a sharp breath and he continued. "But one day… One day he showed me his face. The horror and the confusion I felt when I saw my own face…I'd never forget it."

"Wait." Barry halted his story. "Your face? Doppelganger?"

The look on Bart's face was one Barry never wanted to see again.

"Worse." The boy said with shaking voice. "Eobard's son."

Barry's eyes widened for a brief moment but it was quickly replaced by a knowing sigh. Of course, Barry should have known. Why did it not surprise him that the son of his worst enemy was after one of his descendants?

"The worst part is that Inertia is me – kind of." Bart added. "Somehow Eobard was able to create a clone of me and managed to turn him into a hateful monster."

"That's…"

Barry didn't even have words to express what he felt or how enraged he was. That bastard. If he had Eobard in front of him right now, Barry would rip his insides out of his stomach from how angry he felt. But Bart had more to say.

"When he found out that he was my clone he came after me. He hated me for being the original and tried to kill me so that he would be the only one."

 _Well, doesn't that sound familiar!?_ Barry's mind drifted to Savitar. And then realization hit him. Barry stared down at his grandson with a half-hidden horrified expression.

"That's why you wanted so much to learn how to fight!" he gasped.

Bart gave him an affirmative nod. "There won't be long before he finds me. The fact that he has delayed this long means that he's bringing back up."

A hard, stubborn expression formed on Barry's face. "Then we'll be ready for them." He promised with conviction.

If they thought they could harm his future grandson, they had another thing coming.

#

It was at the first light of dawn that Felicity woke up, got ready quietly enough to not wake up Oliver or William, who was sleeping in the guest room, and called Dinah to meet at the train station. The two women hopped on the first train to Gotham City and rode in silence, both of them too tired and sleepy to attempt conversation. The Black Canary fell asleep for an hour or two wanting to catch up on what Felicity robbed from her. The blonde hacker, though, couldn't follow on her friend's steps. She was too anxious. She was surprised that she got any sleep at all. She was going to confront Oracle today. Well, she and Dinah were, that's why she had wanted the metahuman to come along –she wanted back up. Felicity had an idea who this Oracle hacker was, but she still didn't want to take any chances.

Hopping off of the train and her tablet glued to her hand, Felicity followed the trail Oracle had left. Dinah followed silently and without asking questions. They found themselves walking up the stairs of an apartment building in a street that she had already forgotten the name. On the third floor, second door to the right. That's where Oracle lived. Felicity stood awkwardly in front of the door, not making a move to either knock or leave.

"Want me to knock?" Dinah offered.

Felicity took a big breath and shook her head. "No, I'll…I'll do it."

And she did. She took a few moments to collect herself and then raised her left hand and knocked loudly at the wooden door of apartment 2c. When the person inside answered it was the state that she was in that shocked Felicity and not Oracle's identity. Wild red hair like fire, pale skin and a face too familiar. The only thing that was different was the wheelchair.

"Barbara Gordon." Felicity tried not to show how shocked she was.

Barbara smiled at them, her hands firm on the wheels. "Hello, Overwatch. Come in." she made way for the two women to pass inside her apartment.

The hesitation Dinah was feeling Felicity didn't. The blonde stormed inside and took a look around.

"Long time, no see." It was Barbara who broke the silence.

"You two know each other?" Dinah asked Felicity startled.

The blonde didn't take her eyes away from the woman in the wheelchair. "We went to college together." She said simply. "Did you know I'd find you?"

"I had no doubt that you would." Barbara replied calmly. "You were always the only one to match my skills behind the keyboard.

"How did you know I am Overwatch?"

Oracle eyed Dinah from the corner of her eyes and smirked. "The same way I know that she is the Black Canary. The second incarnation." She added. "And that Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow and Barry Allen the Flash and everyone that's in the League."

Dinah immediately tensed. How could she have figured out everyone's secret identities? Dinah didn't trust this woman –even though she clearly had history with Felicity. But the other hacker just frowned.

"The only way to figure out all our identities is through me."

Barbara sighed. "Fine! Yes, everything clicked after I found out that the hacker helping the Green Arrow was you." She admitted. "But honestly Felicity, I can recognize your coding from a mile away. It was not hard, believe me."

Felicity seemed to accept that answer. Her eyes traveled to the useless body of the woman she knew once upon a time. Her gut twisted unpleasantly. It was a very familiar sensation that almost made her gag from the nausea. Her memories flashed back to the time she spend in a very similar looking wheelchair, unable to move her own body.

"What happened to you?" she asked softly, but it was clear how upset she was.

Barbara looked sad for a moment and even a little nostalgic. "The Joker shot me. I told you that you weren't the only one working with a vigilante. Somehow the maniac found out my real identity and showed up at my apartment. When I came in and saw a shadow in the dark I thought that it was Batman. But it wasn't." she said bitterly. "The bastard shot me and left running. And I bled on the floor for two hours before Batman found me and took me to the hospital. But the damage was already done." She finished with a sigh.

Felicity's blue eyes had watered affected by Barbara's story but also because of the painful memories it brought back. "I'm sorry." She said although she knew it meant nothing to the person that was going through that.

"I read that you too were in a similar situation. But you are clearly walking now."

"I was. I have a chip in my spine that helps me walk. A friend made it for me."

Barbara was silent, but if her widen eyes implied anything, she was clearly shocked and in awe. "You reversed paralyses." She breathed not quite believing that it was real and not a dream.

Felicity made a weird face. "Not reverse exactly. It just sends the messages your body doesn't to your brain. I can't walk without it."

Barbara gasped again. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times but no word came out. "Wow!" she said in the end.

Felicity bit her lip thinking over her next words. "Perhaps I can replicate the chip, make one for you. I don't want to get your hopes up, but if you want I have the schematics, I can try."

This time Barbara couldn't hold the tears that fell from her eyes and down her cheeks. "You want to…help me walk again?" she asked in disbelief.

Felicity offered her a sorrowful smile. "We may have not seen each other since college, but I can't bear seeing you in that thing."

Barbara was full on crying now. She tried to calm herself, but her feelings were all over the place. "I'd really like to be able to walk again. Thank you, Felicity."

The woman could only offer her one more sympathetic smile. Barbara wiped her tears and collected herself.

"Thank you for that miracle offer. But I believe you are here for this, Overwatch." She wheeled away and returned after a few moments holding a flash drive in her left hand. "This is all the information Batman and I have collected on the 9th Circle over the years. I hope it can help you make some progress."

#

"Don't you know that it's stupid returning to your previous lair after having been discovered?" Savitar turned to see two speedsters, one of them the man he hated most of all. "Before," Inertia got in the middle of the two rivals hands raised and all. "you go murdering each other, why don't we take a breath and rethink the situation?"

Savitar didn't want to rethink speeding to Eobard and ripping his spine out of his body. And judging from the pursed lips and fluttered nose neither did Eobard.

"You have two seconds to explain why I shouldn't rip your bones out of your corpses." Savitar growled.

"What I want to know is why we're here to ask _Barry Allen_ to join us?" Eobard growled too before Thaddeus could speak. "I thought we were looking of Savitar."

Thaddeus rolled his eyes. "This is Savitar. And we're here because we have a proposition for you."

"I don't, he has." Eobard clarified not liking the idea of having to work with any version of Barry –even if that was scarred and carried the reputation of a serial killer.

The time remnant had the audacity to laugh. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. It even beats the one Barry made about helping me not get disintegrated by the paradox."

"Just hear us out." Inertia objected or more like begged. "You want to kill Barry, he wants to kill Barry and I want to kill Barry's grandson, Bart. Neither of us has succeeded alone, so why don't we try together?"

Savitar pierced his cold mismatching eyes on the younger speedster. Inertia felt his blood freeze from the gaze only. Savitar tilted his head lightly to the side and smirked.

"And how is that deal going to work?" he demanded.

He eyed Eobard who had folded his hands in front of his chest and sported a very childish sulking face.

"You can be Barry Allen again. The real Barry Allen, not the unfortunate time remnant who lived." Thaddeus said passionately. "We take the Flash out and Impulse and you take back your rightful place."

"And then?"

"And then we let things run their course. Eobard would have got rid of the person he hates the most, I will destroy that sorry excuse of a speedster and you will have your life back." He proposed. "So what do you say, Savitar? You in?"

Savitar thought about it for a long time. The evil smirk never leaving his lips in the meantime. He took so long to make up his mind that Thaddeus actually started to fear that he wouldn't agree. But then, Savitar licked his lips.

"What do I have to do?"

Thaddeus' smirk matched Savitar's. "We need to find one of your old worshipers. Cicada."


	43. The sad tale of Savitar

**The first part of the chapter was originally part of the previous one, but it got too long and I had to cut it. As it turned out, this one is bigger, so what was the point? Anyway, I couldn't cut it short, so here it is. One huge chapter, just for you.**

 **I really hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to comment your thought.**

 **Love you all!**

Chapter 43

"Batman is real?" Jax gasped sounding doubtful.

"Apparently!" Dinah answered in one word.

"I thought he was just an urban legend." Rene mirrored Jax's skepticism.

"Batman is very real." Kara confirmed. "My cousin has worked with him once or twice." When everyone raised their eyebrows she added. "They're an...odd team, but from what I know he helped put Lex Luthor behind bars."

"Well, if he helped with Lex he's okay in my book." Oliver said loudly.

"How come you haven't mentioned him before?" Sara asked.

"I've never actually met him." Kara admitted smoothly. "And from what Kal has told me, Batman is very mysterious, keeps to himself and doesn't work well with others."

"Does that sound like someone we know?" Felicity mumbled quietly.

Everybody heard her though.

"I'm not like that anymore." Oliver complained.

Sara eyed him with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression. "You used to."

"She's right." Barry agreed. "I remember those times very vivid."

Oliver crossed his arms and gave all three of them a pointed look. Dinah cleared her throat and turned her gaze back on Supergirl.

"So, how come he decided to be a team player now?"

However, it was Felicity who replied, not Kara. "Because of the 9th Circle. His team has been after them for years, but whenever they got close to catching them, the Circle disappeared. Oracle recognized the trail I left when I was looking into them and thought it would be best to expand their working relationships just for this case."

"So this is a one time deal?" Jax asked wanted to clarify if he understood correctly.

Felicity nodded. "Correct."

"Did they have any useful information?" Barry got them back on the topic they were really interested in.

The IT expert nodded her blonde head and pushed the flash drive into a USB socket. The team turned around and looked at the big, flat screens on the walls of the Cortex. Most were impressed. Oracle had really given Felicity plenty of information. Felicity cracked her fingers and started explaining.

"From what I gathered from the file, the 9th Circle is a very old organization –basically ancient."

"Well, that's very comforting." Rene snorted sarcastically.

Felicity continued. "And technically they are a bank for Supervillains."

"Like in the _'Despicable me'_?" Cisco's splutter was both surprised and excited.

Felicity gave Vibe an unimpressed stare and then shrugged. "I guess. Oracle has gathered information that ties them to every terrorist attack there has ever been in history. And I mean EVERY! The twin towers, the Cold War, bombings, everything major that has happened they are behind it."

"That's a little terrifying." Ray stuttered looking around the room searching for someone who shared his thoughts.

"What do they want to accomplish with that?" Kara asked frowning. "It can't just be the thrill of terrorizing people."

"You are right." Felicity agreed, typing on the keyboard and then another slot appeared on the screens. "The 9th Circle consists of people who believe in the rebirth of the world."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Dinah asked with a distasteful taste in her mouth.

There was a heavy sigh from Felicity, one that no one liked to hear. "It means that when the resources become equal to every individual and humanity loses the ability to evolve above that state, then they create a disaster so huge that is capable of bringing civilization to the Stone Age so that it can be reconstructed from the beginning." She explained. "Their goal is to have few people with too much power and everyone else..." she hesitated. "You get the point. I don't want to say the word poor or slave or whatever can describe the cruelty of what they want to accomplish." Her voice trembled.

"So, no middle class." Caitlin spoke for the first time.

The woman shook her head to confirm it. "No! Just the top of the food chain and the...food."

Dinah chewed on her lip having a thoughtful look on her face. "Guys, we're talking about changing the course of evolution. To be able to do something like that you need serious resources. For this to work, the 9th Circle would _have_ to have people in powerful positions."

The Cortex got silent as the weight of the Black Canary's words hit them hard. She was right, of course. Talking about rearranging the status of civilization required power that could only come from people from powerful positions such as world leadership. The atmosphere felt heavy around them. What political scandal had they stumbled in the middle off? Each member of the League left to its thoughts. It was why everybody heard Oliver curse silently. But to them, it was loud as a siren's cry. Oliver left their eyes fell on him and for the first time he felt like he was the bulls-eye to his arrows.

"Oliver, what is it?" it was Barry's calm voice that broke the silence.

Oliver left his blue eyes travel to Sara, Rene, and Dinah next to him and slowly drifted to the others. Alex, Cisco, Ray, and Zatanna. To Caitlin, Jax and Stein sitting close together as always. And finally, to Felicity, Kara, and Barry.

"Senator Domini paid me a visit recently." He said nonchalantly.

He watched as Barry's bushing eyebrows frowned. "How recently?"

"The day we met you guys at the park with William and Bart." He explained. "I didn't think much of it. The visit was so random and he didn't stay long. I didn't know what to make of it. And he said..." he hesitated. "He said that Star City was dying and that it wasn't the only one."

"You think he is part of the 9th Circle?"

But it wasn't Oliver who answered Ray's question. "It makes sense. Domini is in a powerful position and it would explain his dedication to ruin our image." Alex said with conviction. "I mean stopping people like him is a Superhero's job description."

"I agree with Alex." Dinah said and from next to her Rene nodded in agreement with the other two.

"Okay, so if we think that Domini is part of this group, what are we going to do about it?" Jax asked.

It was a question that was echoed by most of them.

"There's not much we can do." Oliver shook his head. "We don't know who these people are or how many."

"Or what their plans are and when they're planning to...do whatever that is." Sara added.

"I say we get Domini and beat some answers out of him." Rene hit his right fist into his left palm.

"That's a terrible idea!" Dinah gasped.

"Yeah," Sara agreed. "If we do that then we become exactly what he's been saying."

"Then what do you suggest?" Rene dared them to come up with a better solution.

Both women narrowed their eyes at him, but before either could open her mouth Barry whistled stopping the argument.

"I'll tell you what we _are_ going to do later." He said, finalizing the situation. "But Domini is not our only problem. And we can't focus all our attention on him. Kara, you said you have news from Lena."

"I do." Kara nodded her blond curls and giving Felicity the flash drive Lena gave her. "She was able to trace the alloy that matches the one of my pod and Kal-El's in a village in North Russia. And I'm not even going to attempt to pronounce the name. Also, her mother, Lillian, is behind this." She added. "Apparently, someone broke her out of prison while making it look like a riot."

"Next time we catch her we should put her somewhere no one can find her." Sara mumbled as she turned her eyes to the screen where the location of the CADMUS facility was displayed.

"I know that place." Oliver said out of the blue. "I've been there when I was part of the Bratva."

Felicity turned on her chair to look at him. "Why does that not surprise me?"

"Me too." Barry added.

"Me three." Kara agreed.

Next Cisco opened his mouth. "If you're going to say 'me four' I'd rethink that." Oliver threatened him.

The metahuman closed his mouth quickly and stayed silent.

"I should go alone." Oliver continued. "I'm familiar with the place and one person is enough for a recon mission. We can't go blazing in without proper information about what we're dealing with, how many people there are and what firepower they have at their disposal."

"I'm going with." Sara announced. "I'm not letting you go alone, Oliver. And perhaps a little back up isn't a bad thing."

Oliver sighed in defeat." Fine!"

"Then I'm coming too." Alex said strongly. "I know CADMUS better than any of you." She added when Oliver and Sara were about to protest. "And I want a little payback."

"That's good." Barry said before anyone else decided to volunteer. "Oliver, Alex and Sara are going to go to Russia, evaluate the situation and then report back."

"Maybe I should go instead." Kara said. "Cold doesn't affect me and I can use my x-ray vision and super hearing to spy on them."

"No way!" Alex disagreed, shaking her head. "This is CADMUS we're talking about. They would be expecting you to show up."

"Yes, and they'll probably have kryptonite and who knows what other weapons to kill you." Sara added.

"Besides, I need you to go somewhere else."

Kara turned to Barry surprised. "Go where?"

"Cisco said that he, Zatanna and Ray found a way to go to Orion. This could be our only chance to learn something real about Darkseid."

Cisco was grinning painfully. Zatanna lifted her hand and held out a shiny helmet.

"This is Orion's helmet. I can cast a tracking spell to return to return to its owner. All we have to do is follow it."

"How did you get this?" Kara gasped.

The three of them cringed. "We went back to Apocalypse." Ray admitted as a shiver ran through him. "It was not a pleasant experience."

"That place gave me the creeps." Zatanna agreed.

"So that's where you three disappeared to." Barry said to no one in particular. "Regardless, Zatanna and Cisco are going and I want Kara, Mon-El, and Firestorm to go with them. Professor Stein, I know it's not fair to ask this of you but..."

"If it's going to help stop Darkseid, then, by all means, I'm in." Stein interrupted the speedster. "Besides, I've never been to another planet before. It'll be quite the adventure."

"Why we specifically?" Jax asked.

"Barry's strategy is perfect." Oliver answered for the speedster. "You are going to an alien planet. Your group should be small to not be received as a threat, but also you should be powerful so that if you need to defend yourselves against them you'll have the best chances of success."

Barry nodded in agreement with the archer. This was exactly what he was thinking.

"There is, though, a small problem." Cisco chuckled. "How are we going to get there? Anyone has a spaceship lying around?" he joked.

"As a matter of fact." Alex spoke up. "The D.E.O. confiscated a spaceship from the last time we busted CADMUS. It should be big enough for all of you."

"What?" Kara widened her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that CADMUS had a spaceship?"

The D.E.O agent just shrugged. "I didn't think it was important."

"Really?"

"Wait, why aren't you going?" Jax asked Barry. "You are just as powerful as any of us?"

"I can't. Thawne is gathering a team to kill me and Bart. So I need to stay here in case they decide to show up while I'm gone."

Barry saw the others flinch at his confession. "Maybe we should wait until we leave." Oliver suggested. "We could help you out."

But Barry was shaking his head. "No, you guys should go ahead. This is more important." He disagreed. "And this is between speedsters. I sent Wally to bring Jessie and Jay Garrick from Earth-2 and Earth-3. We'll deal with this."

"What should the rest of us do?" Dinah asked.

"And what about National City?" Rene added. "With Supergirl, Mon-El, and Alex away, who is going to protect it?"

"Well, National City still has Guardia and Martian Manhunter, but we could send Frost to assist too." Barry eyed Caitlin, who simply nodded. "As for you and Dinah, you should go back to Star City with Diggle. Domini paid Oliver a visit for a reason. Perhaps it's the 9th Circle's first target. Keep your eyes sharp." He advised. "And Ray, I want you to do what you do best." He turned his eyes to the man.

Ray widened his eyes and pointed at himself. "What do you need me to do?"

"I want you to shrink down and spy on Domini. Find what he's hiding, any plans the Circle has in store. I want to know everything. And when you do...Dinah," he then turned to the Black Canary. "You are in charge. Get the information from Ray and decide what needs to be done." He finished with a sigh. "That's it. Do we all agree?"

Everybody nodded in the Cortex.

"What about Kendra and Carter?" Caitlin asked.

"They're too new to this group." Kara said. "We should keep them for back up."

Everybody nodded again.

"When do we leave?" Alex asked.

Barry, Oliver, and Kara shared a knowing look.

"As soon as possible."

#

The crime lab at CCPD was quiet. Deadly quiet. Barry and Joe stared at the twelve pictures of people on the glass board. Twelve people who had been reported missing in the last twenty-four hours. In his other hand Detective West held a photograph of his partner, August Heart.

"You think we should add it to the list?"

Joe sighed, dread sweating on his forehead. "I don't know Barry."

"How long has he been missing?" Barry asked quietly.

"Since Wednesday."

"Four days."

"It was his days off. And then the next day he didn't come in and didn't call in sick. I went to his place and no one answered." Joe's body shook. "I just didn't want to think that he's one of the victims."

"Hey, don't think that." Barry grabbed his foster father's shoulders and rubbed them soothingly. "We haven't found any bodies yet. You don't know if the kidnapper is killing his victims."

Joe sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. "I know. I'm just worried, Barr. What if the worst happens? I can't lose another partner."

Barry's shoulders fell. He understood perfectly what Joe was feeling. Three of his previous partners had been killed on the job and the other two transferred. And Joe had started to worry that it was because of him. Neither man believed in bad luck or jinx or prejustice, but at this rate, one started to wonder if perhaps there were larger forces at play.

Barry was about to say something to reassure Joe when he felt time slowing down. The man in front of him froze and the clock on top of the wall stopped ticking. Barry felt an electric tingling on the pores of his body as a Speedforce aura approached the speedster. Then he felt a tap on his left shoulder. Channeling the Speedforce himself, Barry turned to face the other speedster, yellow lightning cracking all over his body. Barry's green eyes widened in horror and confusion as they fell on Savitar's smug smirk.

"Tag, you're it." Evil Barry smirked playfully before taking off.

Before he could even process what he was doing, Barry sped off after him. The two speedsters raced through the streets of Central City, their lightning trailing after them. Their yellow flash and the gust of wind alerted those they run by. The citizens turned towards their direction with wide eyes, feeling uncertain if it was good that they felt the Flash passing by or if the hero was running yet again towards danger. Nevertheless, they prayed he would be fine. Finally, after a few seconds of playing catch-me-if-you-can, Savitar stopped them both. At first, Barry didn't realize that they were in Iris and his loft.

"You!" Barry could only utter in surprise as they came to a stop.

He couldn't believe his eyes. In front of him was the man he thought he'd never see again. But his form was too familiar. Savitar looked exactly as he remembered. Dark clothes covered his body from top to bottom. His messed up hair fell in front of his eye –the good one – while leaving exposed the burned side of his face and the white, glassy eye that couldn't see. Barry felt a familiar bitterness in his stomach.

"It's impossible!" he gasped again. "How are you here?" he demanded.

Savitar only smirked, like Barry was supposed to know the answer. "The same way you are. The Speedforce."

"No," Barry shook his head violently. "You got erased from existence. You're not supposed to exist anymore. I beat you!" he yelled louder.

Savitar laughed. "You spend six months being part of the Speedforce and you still don't know anything."

Barry felt his blood pump in his veins as anger took over. The next moment he had Savitar pressed against the wall and his hands around his throat.

"Don't you mock me!" he growled.

But Savitar only laughed again. "As much as I'd love that, I'm actually here to warn you."

Barry narrowed his eyes on the time remnant and scoffed. "As if I'd believe whatever comes out of your mouth. Tell me how you're here!" he demanded again.

Savitar rolled his eyes dramatically. "Well," he pushed Barry off of him and fixed his jacket. "If you desperately want me to. It's going to take a while, though, care to make me a cup of coffee?" Unmoving, Barry stared at him with deadly, unamused eyes. "A cup of tea?" Still nothing. "Some hot chocolate at the least."

"I'm not in the mood for games, Savitar."

The time remnant sighed dramatically. "Fine! You're boring."

Savitar moved gracefully and sat down on the couch, laid his arms on its back and brought one leg on top of the other. Then he nodded with his head for Barry to join him. The original eyed him hesitating, but after a brief debate, he joined the time remnant.

"When the Speedforce took you that was the end of the Flash. You were never supposed to return. That was the sacrifice you had to make for defeating me." Seeing the confused look on Barry's face he added. "I am you after all." He smirked. "I am every bad thought you've ever had. But then, the merry band of three decided to merge the worlds and made a mess in reality. Darkseid." He clarified. "The others can't defeat him without the Flash, you play a key role in all this."

"How do you know all this?"

Savitar looked at Barry like he was stupid. "When a speedster dies or gets erased from existence he returns to the Speedforce and becomes a part of it." He explained. "So," he cleared his throat. "After the mess those three created, it had to let you out. Now, don't get things twisted, the Speedforce didn't do it out of the good of its heart because it took pity on you." He snorted. "No, the Speedforce is selfish, it only does what is necessary for the survival of reality. And that meant giving Barry Allen a second chance in life. All of Barry Allen." Savitar's mismatched eyes boarded into him.

Barry felt like he was being stabbed from the look the time remnant was giving him. He swallowed hard and nodded slightly. "What does that mean?"

"It's the reason why I'm here." Savitar answered abruptly. "The Speedforce couldn't release just the good, fluffy version of Barry Allen, but also the other one who knows nothing but pain. Who has embraced the darkness you are fighting every day. Me. You and I make a whole Barry Allen. Do you understand now?"

Dread. That's what Barry was consumed with as soon as Savitar's words made sense to him.

"If you've been here all this time, why show yourself now?"

That was a good question. Savitar shrugged. "I came to warn you about Thawne."

"I know what Thawne is planning." Barry nearly cursed at him.

Savitar smirked. "Not everything."

Rage fuelled inside Barry and the speedster shot up in speed mode. Breathing heavily and trying to control himself from attacking his time remnant, Barry turned and glared at Savitar.

"And why should I trust you?" he yelled with rage. "Even before I knew that you existed the only thing you wanted was to cause me pain. How do I know that this isn't some kind of trap?" he accused. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Savitar got up as furious now as his other self. "You think this is easy for me?" he demanded loudly. "That any of this has ever been easy for me?" he pocked Barry with his index finger. "You don't know what I've been through. The pain I felt and the betrayal that drove me insane."

"No, I don't." Barry said back passionately. "But whatever happened to you, I can't believe that I would ever become a heartless monster like you." He spat with hatred.

The look on Savitar's face would be comical if it wasn't so deadly. "You and your Flash-family made me into this monster."

" _I_ never did anything to you."

That stopped Savitar. A more sly expression took over his features as he tilted his head to the right. "That..is technically true." He admitted. "But that doesn't mean I didn't have a good reason for what I did."

Barry felt like exploding. "How could you possibly justify wh-"

"You don't understand."

"You never explained."

"You couldn't understand. You weren't there." Savitar shook his head. "You didn't live my life. So you don't know how I felt after our last fight with Savitar."

For the first time, Barry saw emotion show on the time remnant's face. True, raw emotion. The man in front of him looked like he was about to crumble, ready to shed a tear.

"There were eight of us. Against _him_. But the fight didn't last long and it was painful."

 _The time remnant lay on the ground, pain exploding from all parts of his body. He didn't know how many broken bones he had but might as well be all of them. He had passed out after he had taken one of Savitar's lightning bolts straight to the face._ ** _Iris!_** _He was here to save Iris. That thought gave him the strength to push past his pain and stumble to his knees. But the horror that waited for him as he lifted his face rivaled the one caused by his own wounds. The other time remnants lay dead around him like broken rag dolls. Seven familiar red suits torn apart and covered in blood. The blood that came out of the other Barry Allens' mouth and open wounds. Some were so badly beaten that he could see the bones showing from inside the flesh. The last time remnant felt like fading just by the mere sight of his fellow selves._

 _He fell again, unable to support his own height. His eyes felt heavy and the dream-state welcomed him to close his eyes and fell into the calming forever-sleep. How sweet and welcoming it felt at that moment. But then he heard a horrified cry. It was his own voice._ ** _Iris!_** _He thought again and gained consciousness once again. But he was unable to move. The only thing he could do was tilt his head. But the angle he was showed clearly his original self on his knees and from his red suit, the dead arm of Iris West hung weightless in the air. The time remnant wanted to scream, only to find that he had no voice. Tears filled his vision and he was only aware of his heavy breathing because of the pain that became even more unbearable. The last thought before blackness consumed his vision was that he wanted to die._

"I woke up three days later in the med bay." Savitar continued his story. "I was alone. I panicked for a moment. Half my face was covered in bandages, but most of my injuries had healed. I got up and started searching for you. It took me a while to realize that the lab was empty except for me. The first person I went to see was you." Savitar looked Barry right in the eyes and the other could see unshed tears in the time remnant's mirroring eyes. "You were like a dead person walking."

" _She's dead." Barry told him his voice as dead as his deceased fiancée. "We didn't save her. I want to be alone."_

 _And then he shoved some of his clothes to the other Barry and closed his door. And it would stay closed for a very long time. The wounded time remnant held the clothes close to his body and returned back to STAR Labs. After countless failed attempts to put the fresh clothes on, he abandoned the task and crumbled his way to Joe's house. The man there wasn't in any better condition than his original self. It was actually worse. Because neither Joe nor Wally could look at him. At first, Barry felt guilty, he had failed to save his only daughter after all. But as time passed and the words they said to him became less and less, this Barry started feeling like they blamed him for his failure. And why wouldn't they?_

 _Barry still didn't talk to him. He didn't talk to anyone. He had closed himself in his apartment –if he even was there – and lived like a monk away from any human contact._

 _Times with Cisco were a little better, but the time remnant had a gut feeling that he wasn't really the person Cisco wanted to spend time with. It had become painfully clear to him that neither Joe nor Wally, not even Cisco could recognize him as Barry Allen. He constantly told them that he was the man they had made so many memories with, but their thick heads couldn't comprehend that he was something more than a copy of the man they wanted to get close to again._

 _Barry was still AWOL. And as much as they run after the version of Barry that pushed them away, that much this one craved their affection. Until one day it became apparent to him that he would never get it._

 _It was the very same day the time remnant barged into Barry's apartment and demanded to talk. And the rage his original self unleashed towards him might as well had killed him that moment. Because Barry Allen was swimming in so much guilt that it was easier to take it out on someone with his face. Much easier when that same face was another version of himself._

 _The time remnant was done at this point. He had lost Iris, he had lost his family and he had lost his friends. Add that to the physical pain he was in every single day it became unbearable. With nothing to live for, the time remnant crawled to Iris' grave where he finally let it all out. His tears burned as they fell on the damaged skin of his face. But he took comfort that he wouldn't have to bear it for much longer. He would join Iris soon enough._

 _Because what else did he have? He was in a wrong timeline, unable to return to his own because it didn't exist anymore. This timeline already had a Barry Allen. He was just a ghost. He lost his family and his friends. He lost his job, his house, his belongings. He even lost his identity._

" _I'll see you soon, Iris." He whispered. "I love you!"_

 _And that was when he blacked out. He woke up screaming his lungs out from the pain. His face was burning like it always did, but this time it was so much worse. His vision was black and he couldn't see the damp, cold, underground lair he was in. The only thing that mattered was to make the pain stop. He brought his hand to his face determined to tear the flesh out, not caring that it would only make matters worse. But a cold hand stopped him. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as the flames retreated. A few moments later the hand was gone. The time remnant raised his tired eyes and spot Killer Frost looking down on him._

" _ **Welcome home, Lord Savitar**._ _" Her cold voice said. "_ ** _I'll be in the next room if you need me._** _"_

 _She was gone before she could hear him say breathlessly: "I'm not him."_

"The only thing that made the pain go away for a while was Killer Frost's frozen touch. She kept calling me Savitar and I kept refusing her."

" ** _Here. That'll fix your pain._** _" Killer Frost said one night as she cupped his scarred cheek._

 _The time remnant looked tired at her. "Can you mend my broken soul too?" he asked doubtfully._

" _ **Only you can do that**._ _" She said. "_ ** _By finally accepting who you're supposed to be._** _"_

" _I'll never be what you want me to."_

" _ **We'll see**._ _"_

"The first time I put on the Savitar suit was to get a reaction out of you." Savitar continued. "It was the first sightings of the Flash Central City had seen in years. When I saw that you were back I don't know –I...I felt this rage inside me. Everything I lost, you had it all. So, I put on the suit just to taunt you for a little while." He said looking at Barry right in the eyes. "But after that...after that, I loved it so much." He admitted. "The pleasure I got from the look on your face every time you saw me. It was like I got high on that look. And I kept telling myself: One more time. One last time and I'll stop. But the last time never came because you managed to trap me into the Speedforce. And there...? That's where the real torture started. I told you once that being in that hell hole made me lose my mind several times over. I didn't put it lightly. And after the millionth time I drove myself crazy, only one thing remained. Anger. Rage. The only thing I wanted was revenge." Savitar licked his lips as a single tear run down his face. "But before I could go on and torture you for the rest of your miserable life I had to make sure that I would be created. And that's when the idea hit me. Killing Iris. It was what drove my original self to create all the time remnants – me. It was also the only thing I could take from you and would torture all of you the same and at the same time. Kill all the birds with one stone. And you know the rest." He ended with a loud sigh.

At this point, Barry was crying too. Really, he didn't have words. He didn't know what to feel –how he was supposed to feel. And that was way worse.

Instead, he found himself asking: "So why are you here now? To finish what you started?" his voice was filled with emotion.

Savitar shook his head. "I'm past that now. Being trapped inside the Speedforce the first time drove me insane. Being stuck in there for a second time fixed me. Besides, we're not connected anymore. I don't need you to stay alive."

"So what? You're going to kill me, take my place?"

"No," he shook his head again. "I want to make a deal with you. I want to get the life that was stolen from me back, to be Barry Allen again."

"And how are you going to accomplish that without taking my place?" Barry demanded.

Savitar sighed and then smirked. "I'll tell you everything Thawne is planning and you are going to create a new identity for me. And when it's all over you'll convince Cisco to breach me to another earth where Barry Allen doesn't exist. There I can start over." He explained. "So, do we have a deal?"

#

After his conversation with Savitar, Barry headed back to the precinct. He didn't make it through the doors of CCPD, however, as Cisco notified him through the coms that there was a shooting at the Central City Library. But when the speedster got there, there was no shooter and no hostages. There was no one in general. The library was closed. Huh? Barry tensed up. It was rare that they would get a false alarm. Was he being set up? Most likely.

"Flash! Thank you for coming." a voice said from behind him.

Barry turned around and came face to face with Captain Singh. He was confused, seeing the man here and he barely had the mind to vibrate his face to hide his features despite the darkness surrounding them.

"Captain!" He greeted. "What is going on?"

Singh, for his part, actually looked sheepish at the hero. "I'm sorry for dragging you here under false pretenses, but I didn't know how to contact you when the only times I see you are when there's a crime or something equally awful going on." He explained.

Flash couldn't do anything else but the out a breathed chuckled. Singh was right after all.

"You might want to consider creating a front desk or something so people who might need your help can come talk to you."

Flash frowned his eyebrows underneath the cowl of his suit, though it wasn't visible. Singh searched with calculating eyes for any signs that the hero in front of him was, in fact, Barry Allen. Ever since his unexpected epiphany at the police lab, the Captain had not been able to get the thought out of his mind until he proved it right. He couldn't help but notice Flash's body shape matched his CIS's. And the features, despite the darkness and the boy's attempt to hide them even more... It was so clear now that he knew what he knew. How did he not see this sooner? He knew Barry's face ever since he was just a little kid.

"You mean like an office?" Flash's –no, Barry's – disoriented voice brought Singh out of his thoughts.

He could see that the other man was confused. As to why, Singh had no idea, but he nodded his head quickly. "Exactly!" he confirmed.

Barry frowned again and his body language changed. And oh! Oh, how was it possible that David had not put two and two together for five years? If there was any doubt in his mind, the Captain was one hundred percent sure now that this was Barry Allen in front of him.

"Isn't that a little narcissistic?"

Well, wasn't he a humble one? Singh shook his head.

"No one can deny how valuable you are to the city, Flash. And now that you have broadened your borders with the League of Superheroes, I'd insist that is essential to have a place where at least the police can find you." He told him. "Besides, I heard that the Mayor has plans to build a museum in your name."

"A WHAT?!" Flash croaked taken by surprise.

And David could see it as the clear sky how undoubtedly shocked he was. From the way his eyes opened wide to the high pitched of his voice and the stunned expression on his face.

"That's not what I'm here to discuss, though." He changed the subject.

Flash sighted his weight from one foot to the other and collected himself. "What is?"

"I couldn't help but notice that Killer Frost is roaming the streets again." David cut to the point. "Only this time it appears that she's working with you. I want to know what is going on."

Barry sighed. Of course! How could he have forgotten? Killer Frost had done her share in terrorizing Central City when she had aligned herself with Savitar. And with everything happening so fast, Barry didn't even think that there would be demanded questions and raised eyebrows about her sudden appearance again. Not to say that she was on their side now.

"Captain," Barry hesitated. "It's complicated to explain. But we have it under control. Frost won't be a problem."

"From what I remember," from the tone of his voice, Barry could tell that David wasn't just going to let it go. "She is a criminal."

Barry closed his eyes briefly and sighed again. "I'm very aware of what she has done in the past, Captain."

"So tell me why you haven't thought to bring her in?"

"Like I said, it's complicated. Frost appeared out of not the best circumstances and she was manipulated by a very evil villain. She was confused and didn't know how to trust." He explained. "I know that doesn't make up for the things that she did, but we have convinced her to join our side and do good instead. We have her under control, she won't hurt anyone ever again."

"That may be –and I'm very glad to hear that you have turned her, Flash. But that still doesn't mean that she doesn't have to be held accountable for her actions." David insisted.

Barry bit his lip. That wasn't going well. But then he got an idea. "So let her do her time with us." He suggested.

The Captain frowned. "You?"

"Yeah," Barry shrugged. "The League. It'll be like community service, but instead, she'll be working with us. She's very valuable to us with what she can do. And right now Captain...now we need all the powerful people that can help. I can't get into detail with what we're dealing with, but take me on my word that we do need Frost. Trust me, Captain. Have I ever done anything to make you doubt me or my intentions?"

 _Damn kid was good!_ That's what Singh thought as Barry laid out the final card. He couldn't argue there. The Flash had always put the safety of Central City above all. It was hard to disagree on that. And Barry Allen was the Flash, and Flash was Barry Allen. The Captain could not see any reason for either to want to protect a villain from going to prison. So, there was only one thing that remained. He was telling the truth. As short and lacking as it was, it still was true. That meant that Killer –that Frost – had changed alliances and that the League really needed her for something. And David wasn't sure he wanted to know what they had gotten into. Finally, Captain Singh sighed and looked the hero in the eyes.

"Fine! But keep a close watch on her and I want to be informed of her progress."

The Flash didn't hesitate. "Deal!"

#

Savitar's lair was more crowded than he liked when he got back. The Reverse Flash, Inertia, Godspeed –as was the new name of August heart- and Cicada were waiting patiently for his arrival.

"Do you have the stone, my Lord?" Cicada asked respectfully dropping into a bow.

The former God of Speed rolled his eyes behind his new suit. It wasn't as big as the one he had before. That one was destroyed by the Flash. Now he had created another, more practical one. He had still gotten rid of the red, though. In its place, a vibrant blue blinded the rest of the speedsters.

"Here's the Philosopher's stone." He gave the stone full of Speedforce energy to his follower.

"I'm confused." Thawne said loudly. "How is this rock going to bring someone back from the dead?" he demanded arrogantly.

"And why do we need all those hostages?" Godspeed added.

"These aren't just hostages. They are people who have been saved by the Flash." Cicada explained. "In order to bring back to life someone who sacrificed himself to save the Flash's life, we have to sacrifice those the Flash has saved."

"All of them?" Inertia raised an amused eyebrow.

"As many as it takes." Cicada replied. "Though, I should warn you. There are complications. When someone is back from the dead, they're not in their right set of mind."

Inertia's laughter echoed in the dark lair. "We have that covered, old man. It's not like we were planning on keeping his memories as they were anyway."

Cicada looked at the younger speedster unimpressed. Then he turned to look at Savitar. The God of Speed nodded.

"Let's begin then."

 **Next: I'd give you a hint but it'll be too** spoilery **, Sorry!**


	44. Speedsters' War

Chapter 44

It took five days for team A (that being Kara, Cisco, Zatanna, Mon-El and the Firestorm duo) to prepare to leave for wherever the hell this Orion persona lived. That was because both Cisco and Jax had to run multiple virtual exercises in order to learn how to pilot and operate the spaceship. Their training had taken place at the D.E.O and very discreetly as to not raise much suspicion. J'onn had told his agents that Supergirl was to leave for an out-of-planet mission and that the rest would be her crew. It also explained Frost's sudden arrival at the agency.

The spaceship was smaller than the other one Supergirl had stopped. It barely left any room for all of them to fit. But they did, Kara just hoped that none of her friends was afraid of small spaces. Cisco moved to the pilot's chair and addressed the others.

"Everybody buckle up. Zatanna, do your thing."

Cisco ignored the noise around him. He turned in his chair and faced outside grasping the handler tightly. His stomach was sick from excitement and fear and Cisco couldn't decide which feeling surpassed the other. He heard Zatanna cast the spell and then saw Orion's shiny helmet being lifted in the air.

"I hope everyone has fastened their seatbelts." He turned his head to the inside the spacecraft. Pleased when he saw all of his friends safely tied in their seats, he faced forward again and brought the engine to life. "Winn, do you copy?" he spoke on the comm.

"Loud and clear." Winn responded from inside the D.E.O.

"Are we clear to go?"

"Everything looks fine on my end. But there might be a chance that we'll lose contact, so you'll be on your own."

"Alright! Falcon is ready for takeoff."

"You don't have to name everything, Cisco." Jax groaned.

"I liked the Star Wars reference." Kara pouted making Cisco smirk.

"That's what it was?" Zatanna asked.

"Kara is probably as big Star Wars fan as Cisco." Mon-El told them.

Before they could continue Winn's voice came through. "May we meet again."

"May we meet again." Cisco echoed and pushed the handler forward.

The spaceship started moving, gaining speed by the second. Before anyone knew it, they had reached the Stratosphere following the floating object.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Jax groaned.

"Don't you dare throw up, Jefferson." Stein warned. "I'm sitting right in front of you."

He didn't see Jax roll his eyes. "I'll try, but no promises."

Cisco felt his stomach twist. His adrenalin rose and he wondered if the numbing feeling on his mouth was real. "We're almost there guys." He said loudly. "We're about to leave Earth's atmosphere."

"I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that." He thought he heard Zatanna mumble.

And then that was it. Their surrounding turned black and the gravity around them changed. Their stomachs didn't feel like they were going to spill all their contents and neither could they feel the speed they were traveling at.

"Wow!" everyone voice at the same time.

"It's beautiful!" Cisco added. "Terrifying! But beautiful."

"I haven't been inside a spaceship ever since I left Krypton." Kara said looking out of the window. "I thought I'd be more afraid but I'm not."

Mon-El looked at his girlfriend. "I don't remember anything from my trip. As soon as the pod reached the middle of Daxam's atmosphere I went into hypersleep."

Kara spared him a sad look. "You were lucky."

"What was it like?" Zatanna asked softly.

Kara froze. Images and memories and feelings from witnessing her planet's death filled her mind. The dread almost made her shudder.

"You don't have to talk about it, dear." Stein tried to comfort the frightened girl.

But Kara shook her head. "No, I...I'm okay. I've only told Alex about that day."

She felt everyone's eyes on her – including Cisco's. The engineer/metahuman/pilot had turned from piloting the ship and was looking at her with compassion. Kara wasn't the only one who saw that Cisco wasn't driving any longer.

"Aren't you worried that we're going to lose the helmet?" Jax asked frowning.

Cisco didn't appear to be worried. "I've locked our course on it."

Apparently, Cisco had thought about everything.

"It was awful." Kara started with a small voice while looking outside. "The most horrifying thing I've ever felt was leaving Krypton and watching as yellow and red flames swallowed him and everyone on it, including my parents. And being trapped inside the small pod that barely fit me. I felt it as it shook reaching space. I remember being torn between watching my baby cousin flying ahead of me or my parents I left behind." She continued trying not to let her voice tremble. "I remember having a panic attach seeing nothing in front of me. Space was dark and wild and I was just a thirteen-year-old girl who had just lost everything and had the burden of raising Kal-El on a planet I knew nothing about. I could feel my pod floating, nothing underneath my feet. Nothing in front or around me. Just black darkness. But what frightened me most of all was how alone I felt." She stopped to take a breath. "The other most terrifying thing that happened to me was landing on Earth. I watched as this big planet came fast towards me. I remember crying, fearing it would crush me. And I was alone yet again. After the Danvers took me in I would have nightmares about Krypton's destruction and being stuck into space for months."

Even with her super hearing, Kara couldn't hear any noise coming from her friends. It was like they weren't even breathing. She turned away from the window to look at them. Each had a different kind of emotion written all over their faces. They all had the same base, though. Sorrow. Cisco couldn't look at her. He had his face to the floor, but the tears were evident on his face. Mon-El had a mortified expression, while Zatanna looked guilty that she had asked the question in the first place.

"My dear child..." Stein began but he found that he had no words.

"Kara, I'm so sorry." Zatanna gasped.

But the Kryptonian shook her head. "It's okay." She reassured them. "They say that you must face your fears if you want to..." but she didn't continue her sentence as her eye caught something. "What is that?" she pointed out to the green light that came fast towards them.

Everyone gaped in astonishment as they stared outside. "I've no idea." Cisco said for all.  
As the green light approached closer and stopped right in front of their spaceship, they realized that it was a person.

"This is Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814. State the planet you're from and your purpose."

Cisco, Kara, Jax, Zatanna, Stein, and Mon-El stared at each other. Confused was an understatement. They looked at the Lantern again and at each other. The green dressed man looked like a human and he spoke English. But the green outfit and aura around him –including the fact that he was floating in space – had them concerned and confused.

"He is who and wants us to do what?" Mon-El spoke up.

Cisco pushed a button the others didn't know what it did. Kara hoped it wasn't the weapon's activation.

"Look, pal, I don't know who you're supposed to be, but-"

"I am the Green Lantern of this Space Sector."

"Yea, we have no idea what that is. But we really should be going."

"Not before you state your species and what you want." The Green Lantern responded.

"Our species?" Zatanna looked around if anyone had a clue.

"Wait, does he look familiar to you?" Jax asked all of a sudden.

Stein gave him an unimpressed look. "I don't think either of us knows other aliens besides Supergirl and Mon-El."

"We don't have to tell you anything, green alien." Cisco shot back at the Lantern.

"But I'm sure he looks familiar." Jax insisted on the background.

"That is absurd, Jefferson."

"Well, since I'm responsible for maintaining the peace in this Sector, you have to."

Cisco frowned. "So, you're like a space cop?"

"You could say that." Green Lantern responded skeptically.

"Wait a second." Jax gasped loudly. His eyes had gone wide with realization. "Aren't you that test pilot from Coast City that went missing like five years ago?"

At one all eyes turned on him. "Wait, you guys are from Earth?"

"Yes and now that Jax mentioned it, he does look familiar." Cisco said. "Jordan...something, right?"

"Yes," he said somewhat happy to encounter people from his home planet. "Hal Jordan. And I didn't go missing. I was recruited to become a space guardian. What are you guys doing so far away from Earth?"

"It's a long story. We're looking for someone named Orion."

Hal Jordan sneered at that. And if the nonchalant look on his face was anything to go by, he knew who they were looking for. The six people inside the spaceship looked at each other.

"I think we should let him in." Kara said.

Everybody agreed with her. Hal Jordan removed the mask from his face as soon as he stepped inside. In five minutes they had told him who they were and what they did –being Superheroes that is. And why they wanted to find Orion.

"Something tells me that you know him." Kara fixed him with a look.

Hal smiled charmingly despite being unpleased. He sighed.

"I met him once. He was a pain in the butt, tried to interfere with my mission." He explained. "I don't know anything about Darkseid, but if you think Orion has the answers I wish you good luck. Though, if Darkseid is as big of a threat as you suggest my corps might be sent to assist."

"That would be so great you can't even imagine." Cisco chuckled.

"Oh, and... at the speed you're traveling you'll reach New Genesis in about ten years."

A series of "What!" gasps echoed in the ship.

Hal chuckled. "Yea, the New Gods travel to their planet through portals because it's located towards the edge of the universe. So without a portal, I'm afraid you're out of luck."

"Or not." Kara said to herself. "Cisco can open breaches, but he has to be touching the object that belongs there."

"Well, I can't fly or breathe in space."

However, Hal grinned. "That's not a problem. I can take you with me out. The ring will protect you."

Cisco looked uneasy at the Green Lantern. But the metahuman didn't have much of a choice as Zatanna practically shoved him out of the ship with Hal. With Green Lantern's help, Cisco was able to open the breach. When he went back inside, Hal waved them goodbye and flew away. When the others asked him what it was like, Cisco refused to answer, his legs still shaking from being traumatized. Instead, he marched the ship in the breach.

New Genesis was not like anything they had ever seen. For one, it was gold. So much gold everywhere. Cisco idly thought that this would be Snart's paradise. And then they heard it.

"Invaders surrender or we'll shoot you down."

Underneath them, soldiers with weird looking weapons pointed at them. Cisco paled at the sight and looked nervously at the others.

"Uh, should we raise a white flag?"

#

Friday afternoon and Iris West-Allen opened the door to the loft welcoming in Samantha and William. It had been four days since Jay and Jesse had arrived on Earth-1 and they had been training Bart along with Barry and Wally. It hadn't been until today that the Flash had managed to convince his grandson to take a break from training and have some fun. That's how Bart found himself stuck with Iris, who had the brilliant idea of inviting William –and in extension Samantha- over.

"Hey, you two!" she greeted them with an excited smile on her face.

"Hi, Iris. Thanks for having us over."

"Don't mention it." Iris waved dismissingly. "Come on in. Bart is in the living room."

William smiled at that. "Thanks, miss Iris." And with that, he moved past the women and went to find the other boy.

"He's such a polite kid."Iris complimented letting Samantha in the loft and closing the door behind her.

Samantha was beaming at the compliment. She could never get enough from hearing others say good words about William. Her son was the best thing that happened to her, so to hear good compliments also meant that she had done a good job as a mother – she hadn't failed him.

"Here, do you want something to drink?"

Samantha followed Iris into the kitchen, where the other woman turned on the coffee maker. It was a very strategic space. It allowed them to watch over the kids, while not being directly close to them. It gave Bart and William a false sense of freedom to enjoy themselves like they weren't being watched like the hawks by their mothers.

"Whatever you're having." She smiled kindly looking around. "Barry is not here?"

"Nope. Just us." She poured reach, black coffee on a cup and offered it to Samantha. "He's at work."

"Thank you." Samantha took the offered mug and brought it to her lips.

"Careful, it's still hot!" Iris warned just in time.

William had brought his action figures this time. He had the Flash, of course, and the Green Arrow –those two went always together-, Supergirl, Firestorm, and Vibe. And for the villains his favorite Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Top, and Zoom.

"Do you want one of us to be the good and the other the bad guy and then trade?" William asked Bart skeptically.

William had picked up on Bart's awkwardness at the park. But the older boy didn't know if it was from being around him or if he was just as awkward as Barry was in general. He had been surprised to see the resemblance between the two people. He was more surprised when he found out that they were not related –something that he didn't one hundred present believed to be true due to Barry's extra weird behavior when the subject arose.

Bart shrugged but beamed at the same time. "Sure. Or we could have one of both each. Play the hero and the villain." He said at a fast rate.

William almost didn't understand what the kid had said. The expression on William's face alerted Bart. It was hard for him to not forget himself and start speed talking. Bart cringed. If he had Barry would be so disappointed in him. But William smiled and shook his head.

"Sure." He agreed. "Here, you want to be the Flash or the Green Arrow?" he offered his toys.

Bart felt an emotion he couldn't quite put a word on. He chewed guiltily his lower lip. He wanted to be the Flash. He was his grandfather after all and he idolized him. And he dreamed that one day he'll be just as a great hero as he was. But at the same time, he didn't want to seem too giddy. But William decided to end his dilemma.

"Here, you can be the Flash this time." He shoved the action figure in Bart's hands.

"But isn't he like your favorite Superhero?"

"He is." William shrugged. "I'll be the Flash next time."

Bart snickered. "Crush!"

Samantha and Iris smiled adoringly at the two kids playing.

"They seem to be having fun."

"I know and that's so great." Samantha agreed. "William doesn't have that many friends at school anymore. Ever since people found out that he is Oliver's son the other kids treat William differently."

Iris eyed her with a sad look. "Are they bullying him?"

"No, no." she shook her head. "They are just more distant."

"It's tough to be going through this at his age. I remember how bad it was when Barry was being bullied at our school. Kids can be very cruel."

"I know." Samantha agreed. "And that's why I'm so glad William isn't going through that."

"I know what you mean."

"Anyway, you three seem to be doing fine too." She pointed with her eyes at Bart. "What you and Barry are doing for Bart is remarkable."

Iris let out a chuckle. "We are handling things. I like to think about it as practice for when Barry and I decide to have kids of our own."

"I heard my name." Both women turn to see Barry entering. "And I see we have guests. What a lovely surprise."

"Hello, Barry!" the four greeted him excitedly, even Bart who almost messed up and called him grandpa but managed to save himself last minute.

"You are home early. And I hope you don't mind." Iris came up to her husband and gave him a peck on the lips. "I felt like Bart could use a change in company than the grown-ups he had been spending all his time with."

Barry gave his wife a charming smile. "No, not at all. And I just finished early. Not much to do at the lab."

That wasn't true.

The lab was pretty packed with cases and reports to be filled. But Barry, being a speedster and all, had decided to cheat a little and finished all of his workload at super speed. Okay, that wasn't true either. Ever since he got his powers Barry cheated a lot at his work. Only this time, when he knocked on Captain Singh's office to give him his reports the man had looked at him suspiciously, but in the end, he grumbled that he could go home but not turn off his phone in case they needed him to come down.

Barry's green eyes shined suddenly. "Hey, I got an idea. How about William stays over tonight? Boys' sleepover." But the excited look on his face faded as he turned alarmed to Samantha like he had messed up. "Do boys have sleepovers?"

"Please, mom! Can I stay?" William begged before Samantha could answer.

But whatever the woman was going to say was interrupted yet again when one of the windows shuttered and a blur came in. The Reverse Flash griped tightly Bart's neck and stared with an evil smirk at the Flash. Barry's ears buzzed from the horrific sight in front of him that he didn't even hear the gasps from Iris, William, and Samantha.

"Let's see how much you love your grandson, Flash." And before Barry could yell at him to let Bart go, Thawne sped out of the window taking Bart with him.

The panicked look on Iris' face rivaled his own. This was it them. Without wasting time Barry sped after him not caring that he had just revealed his secret identity to two more people. But not before he said to Iris: "Take them and go."

Flash could see Thawne running ahead of him. His enemy had a decent head start, but Barry was determined to catch up to him. His hand moved to his comm.

"Jay, Wally, Jesse, he's here."

"Already?" he heard Jesse ask.

"And he has Bart."

He didn't have to say anything else. The comms went dead and he knew that his fellow Flashes had already suited up and were running in his direction. The Reverse Flash took a sharp turn making Barry almost crash into a wall. He heard him snicker with malice. Thawne was taunting him. They raced on the side of Mercury labs, jumped on the next one and then back on the streets. The Flash was gaining ground. Thawne took another sharp turn wanting to lose Barry. Then something crushed onto him making him lose his footing and spun on the hard asphalt. Bart slippt from his grasp and fell the other direction. Eobard put his weight on one knee and looked up. Jesse Quick smirked at him as she helped Bart get on his feet.

"You're not taking Bart." She told him strongly.

The next moment Barry, Wally and Jay flashed by her side. "We're not going to let you."

Eobard seemed unfazed at the prospect of facing four speedsters. He just smirked even more. "I see you brought reinforcements." He chuckled darkly.

Four more speedsters appeared out of nowhere. One of them was Savitar. The others were a smaller kid –Inertia most likely-, and two they had never seen before. One with white and gold suit and the other blue with the philosopher's stone on his chest.

"I have too."

#

 _Madaun_ _–_ _Russia_

Oliver landed the helicopter just out of the Russian village. It had taken the trio almost as long as the others to leave because they all had responsibilities to tie before the trip. Oliver had to make room from his responsibilities as Mayor of Star City, Sara had to give the ins and outs of being the head of the security guard at Smoak Technologies to Carter and Alex waited to get the green light from J'onn at the D.E.O. In the meantime, they considered the way of transportation. Of course, either Cisco or Zatanna could teleport them up there, but with both gone into space that would leave them without a way to return home. Besides, they all agreed that it was not the best idea in case CADMUS could detect the energy output from their arrival. And then their surprise visit wouldn't be much of a secret. That only left them with traveling the old-fashioned way. Oliver had asked Lyla to lend them one of A.R.G.U.S helicopters and the head of the organization had delivered without much questioning. That's how team B got here. Cocooned with warm, heavy clothes, beanies and scarves, the three street fighters looked at each other and gave a knowing nod. Then they exited the helicopter. Immediately, strong, cold wind hit their faces and their legs were swallowed in the tall snow. It was cold. Too cold, even from Oliver's memories. The Green Arrow turned to the ladies and saw them curling their arms around them to protect themselves from the cold.

"According to the coordinates Lena gave Kara, CADMUS is about ten miles north from here." He yelled loudly so that they could hear him. "We'll continue on foot. I had to land here so we could be barely out of their radar."

Alex and Sara nodded and moved to follow him. "As long as we don't turn into popsicles until we reach the facility." Sara said sarcastically.

Alex chuckled but didn't add anything.

They walked as fast as the environment allowed them to. The snow came up to their knees and the cold wind was so strong it almost pushed them backward. When they reached the forest with the fir trees it provided them some cover from the wind. Just a little, though.

"Why would you ever come here?" Alex asked Oliver.

The man replied while continuing straight ahead. "When I was a member, the Bratva had a secret lab here that made drugs. They were suspecting that there was a mole inside so they send me to find out."

Alex's skin had frozen so much from the cold that she couldn't even frown. It was a wonder how they could talk still. "How come you were Bratva?"

"I owed someone." Was all Oliver offered as a reply.

Alex knew that was all she would get, so she didn't press any further. She knew from her own experience that everyone had a past and that no one was the same person they used to be. She knew and trusted the now Oliver, that's all that mattered.

"Guys, I think that's it." Sara spoke up quietly.

And sure enough, behind the tall trees both Alex and Oliver could make put parts of a building. All of them trained for this type of situation, they quickly hid behind the closest trees. Three sets of eyes canvassed the area.

"How many guards do you see?" Oliver asked in hushed voice.

"I count four." Alex said.

"Me too." Sara agreed. "It'll be easy to take them."

"We can't." Alex disagreed quickly. "We're here for recon, not a raid. The guards need to report every five minutes. If we knock them out and don't report they'll know something is up."

"It's not just them."

Both women looked up at what Oliver was pointing. A machine gun on the roof.

"Even if we take out the guards, we don't have cover for that."

Sighing with frustration, Alex shook her head. "The front door seems to be the only way in or out. How are we supposed to get inside?"

"From the roof." Sara said after a while. "The machine gun is up there and they need to make sure that it's working right. So there should be a way."

Alex nodded pleased. "Great! We just need to find a way up there. Oliver-" she turned to the Green Arrow, but he was already gone. Alex's eyes widened in shock. "Where is he?" she asked Sara.

The former assassin being used to Oliver's disappearing acts tried to relax Alex. She waved for her to follow her to where Oliver was hidden and from that position they looked around for any sign of him. And sure enough, they spotted him.

Oliver had sneaked to the side wall, away from the guards' view. As soon as he saw the women he extended his hand to stop them from following him. Sara and Alex looked at each other confused.

"What is he doing?" Alex asked confused and a little frustrated.

Sara sighed. "I have no idea.

But they soon found out. Oliver aimed his bow and arrow at the top. An iron lasso flew along with it and nailed itself. Oliver grabbed it tightly and started climbing.

"He wants us to climb to the top?"

"If it's the only way."

The salmon ladder had nothing on the wall-climbing Oliver was doing at the moment. As much as he had trained in his life, the muscles on his arms still ached until he reached to the top. Breathing heavily, Oliver reached one foot on the concrete and used it to push the rest of his body up. He rolled on top of the building and stayed there. He took deep breaths and waited a few moments to regain his strength. Then, he got up and looked at the direction his teammates were hidden. He raised one finger in their direction, hoping they got the message.

"We have to go one at a time." Sara understood.

Alex nodded her head. "Go first."

Sara didn't wait long. She looked at the guards and when she saw that they weren't looking she ran as fast as she could to the rope and started climbing the same way Oliver had. When she was on top too, Alex followed.

"Let's find the way in."

Sara had been right. There was a small steel door just behind the machine gun. Sara went to open it but it didn't budge.

"It's locked."

"Allow me." Alex smirked bringing out her favorite laser gun.

She pointed it at the lock and fired making a small hole. She pushed the door and this time it opened without much effort.

"Eyes sharp." She told them. "CADMUS agents are everywhere."

She didn't need to warn them, though. Both had gone secret assassin mode as soon as they were inside. They maneuvered their way inside walking soundlessly, like cats. No one could hear their footsteps and they hid when an agent walked by. That was until they heard Lillian Luthor's voice talk to one of the scientists.

"I expect you to have made progress in two days time. Otherwise, you know what will happen." She threatened.

"She is blackmailing people to do as she asks. Why am I not surprised?" Sara whispered distastefully.

"That is Lillian's style." Alex responded.

They heard Lillian walking away leaving the poor scientist alone.

"Now is the time." Oliver said. "We tranquilize the scientist so Alex can look at his computer.

But Alex was already peaking from their corner. Her eyes widened at what she saw. Before either Sara or Oliver could stop her, she moved from behind the wall and pointed her gun at the man. The man widened his eyes in shock.

"Alex?"

"Dad?"

#

"Come on, let's go!" Iris yelled urgently.

But the other two stayed frozen from the sock. William was blinking not believing what he just saw. Part of him was terrified for what happened to Bart, while the other was still coming to terms with the fact that he had met the Fl... _HOLY_ _SHIT_ _!_ He had met the Flash. And then he felt guilty for even thinking about that when his new friend was just abducted by an evil speedster and was more likely in grave danger.

Samantha, on the other hand, was too overwhelmed she couldn't even comprehend what had happened. William was the first one to jump out of it.

"Come on, mom." He grabbed his mother's hand and rushed to follow Iris.

"Where are we going?" she asked freaking out.

Iris didn't look behind her, just continued walking fast towards her car. "STAR labs." She said abruptly. "Thawne can't get us in the time vault."

They took the stairs three at a time. The elevator seemed too slow and Iris needed to keep moving. They reached the car in a blur and neither of them knew how much time it took to get there. Iris brought the engine to life as soon as she heard William shut the door. She didn't even fasten her seatbelt.

"So, Barry is the Flash?" William asked shyly just to make sure that he had witnessed the scarlet speedster himself and not just another person with super speed.

"Yes. Guys, I'm sorry this happened today." Iris sighed. "You shouldn't have been involved."

"Well, we are now." Samantha replied coming out of her shock.

Iris' feet guided their own as soon as they reached STAR labs. She could hear the footsteps behind her, so she knew that Samantha and William were following her, and didn't slow down. It was the second time William had been inside the lab but it wasn't as exciting (and frightening) as last time. Not that it seemed less like a maze. The halls looked identical wherever they were going and William would have wondered if they were going in circles if he didn't trust that iris knew where they were headed.

Both were confused when Iris stopped in the middle of the hall. She pressed her hand on the wall and a part of it disappeared. William's eyes widened and he almost gasped. Samantha was more unnerved.

"Get in!" she urged them.

Neither hesitated but entered the weird futuristic looking room. The wall reappeared when Iris entered. That's when they finally stopped and collected their breaths.

"So, that speedster won't be able to get to us here?" Samantha hugged her son worriedly.

Iris shook her head. "No, only the people from the League can.

William was in astonishment once more. He was in the Leagues headquarters. How cool was that?! _Your_ _friend_ _was_ _just_ _abducted_ _,_ _William_ _._ Okay, so the situation was not cool. But everything else was.

"So, should I ask if Bart is really a kid you and Barry are fostering?"

Samantha wasn't sure if she had the right to ask. Part of her believed that she deserved an explanation. They had just been attacked by a metahuman supervillain. Iris just thought to hell with it. They had already been exposed to their lives.

"He is mine and Barry's grandson from the future." She explained as she walked further inside the time vault. "Gideon, show me visual from the speedsters."

"Are you saying time travel is real?" Samantha frowned. "That's impossible."

Gideon's virtual head appeared in front of Iris. "Certainly, Iris West-Allen."

"Or not?" Samantha frowned, even more, seeing the AI.

Gideon accessed the live feed from the cameras around the area and the street image appeared in front of them. Iris looked anxious at the virtual screen that showed the two opposing teams. William and Samantha walked to her side.

"I hope they'll be okay." She whispered just loud enough for them to hear.

Barry didn't pale as much as he would have at the sight of Thawne's partners. He would have if he didn't know that this was coming.

"Run!" he yelled at Bart.

Impulse as his nickname suggested wanted to 'impulsively' stay and fight alongside the other Flashes. But in a rush moment of wisdom, he decided to listen to his grandfather and run away as fast as he could. He only looked behind him to see the other speedsters storming on each other.

The Flash managed to get three strong punches on Eobard before the Reverse Flash knocked his foot on his stomach sending him crashing on the traffic lights. Barry felt his back complain from the impact. He didn't let the pain slow him down, though. He got right back on his feet and attacked Thawne again. Eobard took the coward way and sped away turning the fight into a racing contest.

Jesse Quick tried taking on Savitar. She attacked him with fury, only for the other speedster to get out of the way.

"Stay out of it, Jesse." Savitar warned.

Jesse glared at him. "Not a chance." She yelled back. "I'm not sure how you're even here, but it doesn't matter. I'm not letting you get away."

She attacked him again. Savitar blocked her attempts easily. It only frustrated Jesse even more. He waved his arms in circles blowing the girl away, but not hurting her. Jesse got up thew a lightning bolt at him. It hit Savitar right in the chest. He fell back and hard on the ground. Jesse took her advantage and flashed to him throwing a speed punch to his face. Savitar turned in the last second and Jesse's fist crushed hard on the road. Pain spread on her entire arm and before she knew what was happening, Savitar wrapped his arms around her holding her in place. Jesse bit her lip hard willing herself to push through the pain. Then she vibrated out of his grasp and a few feet away from him.

"That was clever, Jesse Quick." Savitar appraised her.

"Smarter than you." She spat at him.

Savitar only smirked.

On the parallel street Kid Flash was fighting Godspeed. Okay, fighting wasn't the exact word for it. Wally was getting the crap beaten out of him. The white and gold speedster had an unusual power he had never seen before. Godspeed had managed to split his self into two separate speedsters. And no, it wasn't a speed mirage. They were two people. And yes, maybe splitting himself into two had also split his speed in half, but it was still a lot for Wally to fight. Kid Flash was getting attacked from two different directions. So you see the problem.

Jay chased after the other speedster. He had never encountered him before either. He must be a new one. And most likely manipulated by Thawne. That was his specialty. The Flash from Earth-3 and the other speedster raced through the streets, circled around the passing cars and phased through buildings until they had circled around to where they started. It was only a matter of time before Jay caught up to him. That was until he felt all of his speed leave his body and fell head first on the road. Jay was more dumbstruck to consider the burns of his wounds. His eyes were immediately glued on the stone on his chest that glowed. Realization hit him. That was the Philosopher's stone. The fact that it was glowing meant that this was had stolen his speed. But how, he couldn't tell. There wasn't much known about the stone that was made out of pure Speedforce. The other speedster towered threateningly over Jay.

"Nowhere to run now." He said with masked voice.

His hand vibrated. Jay was almost too afraid to close his eyes. He knew that this was it. Without his speed, he was dead for sure.

Jesse Quick was surrounded by a dozen Savitar mirages. And she had no way to know which one was the real one. She took a deep breath and started spinning around herself like a ballerina. Faster and faster Jesse created a wind wheel that threw away all of Savitar's images. The real Savitar fell on top of the other speedster only moments before he could end Jay's life. Jay felt his speed coming to him once again, so he got quickly on his feet and raced to Jesse's side. Savitar groaned as he got up. Jesse was a tough opponent. But he wasn't trying to fight her. With one quick movement, he ripped the stone from the speedster's chest and held it in his palm.

"This belongs to me." he said to no one in particular.

The others stared at him in shock. What had he just done? Wasn't he supposed to be on the villain's side?

Wally had a sprained ankle by this time. Godspeed let him fall and raced towards Savitar.

"What are you doing?" he roared. "This wasn't part of the plan."

Savitar smirked back at him. "It was part of mine." He said simply. "Flash and I had a deal."

Jesse, Jay, and Wally looked confused at each other. The look on Godspeed's face was comical –if you could see it.

"What the hell is going on?" Jesse demanded.

He had made a deal? With Barry? That was what everybody thinking right now.

"Time for the truth."

"The truth is that we should be stopping the Flash from destroying my chances at getting justice for my brother's murder." Godspeed yelled angrily.

Savitar stared calmly at him. "No, the truth is that Thawne has been manipulating you. Flash did stop you from killing your brother's murderer..."

"Then-"

"But only because you were after the wrong person. And not for the first time."

August took off his mask and everyone could see the emotion written on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"What I'm talking about." Savitar turned his entire body facing August. "Is that you went a little crazy with this revenge of yours and started killing everyone that pointed even remotely in the direction of being guilty. You were wrong every time. And that's why Flash stopped you." He revealed the ugly truth. "You became too impatient to follow the trail correctly and when Flash tried talking some sense into you, you fought him. So, he stopped you."

"No, that..." August shook his head not wanting to believe what he was hearing. "That can't be true."

"I'm from the future. So I know that it is."

August was opening and closing his mouth and a desperate look took over his features. "I killed those people." He gasped. "I sacrificed them."

"You did."

"Oh, my God!" he breathed, realizing for the first time what he had done. He had killed innocent people. "I should be locked up."

Barry and Eobard raced throughout Central City. They run around cars and on top of them. They exchanged blows as they run on the side of buildings. And the more they fought, the fiercest their attacks became. They were back on the street and up a building again and back on the ground. Barry hit Eobard on his nose sending him down. And Eobard kicked him on the chest making Barry fall. The yellow speedster sped after him for another round, but he got up and rushed away in the traffic. Thawne ran on top of a car and jumped on his back. Flash fell again spinning. When he stopped he saw Eobard coming after him, so he got up and pushed him to the side of a car before the other could reach him. The window broke from the impact. But Barry didn't stop there. He delivered a handful of speed punches on his enemy until the Reverse Flash pushed him away and he crushed on the opposite car. He nearly saw stars when Thawne punched him under his jaw. The Flash vibrated through Eobard but before he could turn around Thawne caught him by the arm and threw him on top of the car. Barry spun in the air and landed firmly on his feet. And then he took off. The Reverse Flash sped after him. They now run in a straight line. Each of them run on the side of opposite buildings and then jumped to fight in mid-air. The earth around them spun it became dizzy. And somehow Barry gained the upper hand. They crushed on the wall and began sliding down fast. Flash held his enemy in place. It looked as if he was using Eobard as a human surfboard. Not long after they reached the ground. Maintaining his grip on him, he threw him on the opposite wall and sped to him again and held him trapped against it.

Barry vibrated his hand. "Why, Thawne?" he growled. "Why do you keep ruining my life?" he demanded gasping for breath.

To his amazement, he saw a tear slipping drown Eobard's face. "Because it's the only time you'll spend with me."

That...wasn't what he expected to hear. "What?" he frowned.

"I idolized you. I _loved_ you. So after I met you –future you- and I let you down, I did everything you told me to become a better hero and person." He confessed and then his face turned into hatred. "And you treated me like EVERYBODY ELSE!" he growled loudly.

"I treat everybody equally."

"EXACTLY! You treated me like you treat everyone in your life when I was supposed to be BETTER than them. I was supposed to be your equal, above everyone. But no, it was too much to ask from you."

"You sound insane."

"No!" Eobard yelled. "You should have loved me more. You should have paid me more attention. And if I couldn't have that as your partner, I'll have that as your worst enemy." He laughed with malice. "And I was right. When you look at me now, when you hear my name. All your focus is on me now."

Barry couldn't breathe. That wasn't logic. That was insanity. No, Eobard couldn't be just a desperate fanboy that acted like an attention-hungry brat.

"You said that you are brilliant where you come from, but your logic is far from it."

Eobard glared at him. "I'm going to take away everyone you ever loved, Flash. And when you are all alone, you'll see that only I deserve a place in your life."

A loud bang interrupted the conversation. Barry watched in horror as Inertia drugged Bart's body and shoved him down. For a dead-silent moment, Barry feared that his grandson was already dead. He hadn't gotten away. His evil clone had caught him. But then Bart's limbs moved slightly. And Barry felt like he could breathe again. But he was paralyzed, holding Eobard trapped.

Inertia got down on his knees and clenched Impulse's suit. "I have waited a very long time to get rid of you." He spat on his face. "And now your dearest grandpa is going to watch you die. How do you think he's going to feel that he failed to save you?" he laughed sardonically.

Thaddeus raised his hand, vibrating it. There was no time. Barry couldn't possibly race over to stop him from killing Bart in time. His green eyes widened. A cry tore from his throat. But Thaddeus never pushed his hand in Bart's chest. Inertia felt his chest tighten. His mouth opened agape and his eyes rolled on the back of his head. Then he fell on top of Bart –dead.

In front of Bart's scared eyes stood Savitar holding Thaddeus' heart in his hand. Barry knocked Eobard out with a strong punch and sped to the two speedsters. He kneeled down to make sure that Bart was alright and then he turned his face upwards to Savitar.

"What did you do?" he asked horrified.

Savitar looked back at him with no emotion. "He was about to kill Bart. I killed him first. You're welcome."

"What happened?" Wally, Jesse, and Jay run to them.

Barry didn't know how to start. But he never got the chance, as a portal opened and five figures stepped out. And the leader looked very similar to Captain Cold.

"We are the Renegades and we're here to take Eobard Thawne to the future to pay for his crimes."

 **Fffttt! This chapter was so looong guys. Some questions about the mystery speedster will e answered in the next chapter and what happened to Godspeed. We'll also find out more about the Renegades and Savitar's future.**

 **And to give you a hint the next chapter will be called ''Monsters''. Just to tease something.**

 **I hope you enjoyed it and especially the fight between all the speedster. It's something I hope they do on the TV show.**

 **See you next time. And as always I appreciate the responses. Comment me your thoughts!**


	45. Monsters

**I want to thank everyone for their nice words. Thank you for reading my baby, thank you for responding, thank you for being so awesome. This chapter is smaller than the previous ones but what can you do? I couldn't make it longer. As always, I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 45

The Bunker in Star City was filled with tension and loud noises echoed around the secret base. Felicity Smoak, hair tied in a ponytail and everything, monitored the city from her computers while chewing aggressively her lower lip. Half her mind was in Russia with Oliver, Sara and Alex and the other half was torn between space and Ray Palmer –hoping that the Atom wasn't caught. At first, John had been staring at her, but in the end, her nervousness had gotten to him, so he had joined Dinah and Rene in training.

"You should ground your feet better." Dinah advised Rene after knocking him to the mattress. "You lose your balance easily."

Rene grunted and accepted John's hand to help him get on his feet. "Yea, well, if you didn't carry that staff with you, my footing would be better."

Dinah scoffed at him. "Is that what you're going to say to your enemies?" she asked sarcastically. "Please lower your staff cause I trip on it?"

Diggle snorted, which gained him a glare from Rene. Not that he minded particularly. Rene sighed in defeat and nodded at his partner. "Fine, you're right." He admitted. "I'll work on it."

"Don't beat yourself up, man." Diggle put a comforting hand on Rene's shoulder. "You are a shooter, not a fighter. And there are different styles in fighting too. Dinah is fast, I am slower but have more strength."

"So, who is going to win between you two?"

At the almost dare, Dinah spun her stuff around and looked challengingly at John. "Want to find out?"

Digg eyed her folding his arms in front of his chest, taking a liking to the idea. "No powers?"

Dinah nodded. "No powers."

"Okay, then, I'll take a breather." Rene moved away from the mattress and grabbed his water bottle.

Dinah and John eyed each other carefully. They started circling each other, both of them tensing up ready to respond if one of them decided to make the first move. From the corner of their eyes, they could see Rene watching them with interest. Dinah spun her staff and rotated direction. Diggle tightened his fists and put his entire weight on his front foot ready to make the first move. But he didn't have the chance to, as Ray Palmer suddenly grew inside the Bunker and startled everyone.

"Guys, we have a problem." He said panicking.

The alarm in both Ray's voice and expression made everyone extremely nervous. At once Dinah dropped her staff and rushed with Diggle and Rene at the Atom's side. Felicity let Ray upload something on her computer without asking what that was first. Now she was even more worried than before.

"What is wrong?" Dinah asked Ray stopping next to him.

Ray's eyes were huge, with fear. "So, I spied on Domini –like Barry wanted. I shrunk down, flew to his house –and let me tell you it was hard to find- and I entered through the keyhole." He started explaining. "Then I needed to find a good hiding spot which was extremely hard because that man is a clean freak. I mean I had to move all the time. And then-"

"Maybe we should move on to the more relative stuff." Felicity interrupted him.

Ray paused for a second until he snapped out of it. "Right." He mumbled. "Oracle's information was right. The 9th Circle wants to blow us up. They have a list with the Cities they are planning on hitting and in which order." He pressed a button on Felicity's keyboard and a list appeared. Everybody's eyes glued on it. "They are targeting Cities with heroes first. Star City, then Metropolis, Gotham and Central City. There are more on the list." He pointed with his index finger at the screen. "But Star City is their first target. They are using it as a test run. If they are successful here, then they'll move on to the other cities."

"But why start from here?" John asked frowning.

"Maybe because the city is going to hell." Rene replied sarcastically. The others gave him a look. "What?" he asked defensively. "Seven years now and crime is getting worse. The only other city that rivals the crap that is going on in Star City is Gotham."

"He has a point there." Dinah sighed.

"Yes, and the bad news is that I have no idea where they have planted the bombs."

"It's happening today?!" Felicity's eyes bulged in horror.

Ray nodded, his expression mirroring hers. "Yes, that's why I had to rush in here."

"It's okay, I can find the bombs." Felicity breathed deeply trying to calm down both Ray and herself.

"How long do we have?" Diggle asked.

Ray gulped before he answered. "Less than an hour."

Felicity's fingered froze on the keyboard and the others felt like they had been shot with lightning.

"Man, how I wish he had Barry and Kara here right now." Rene groaned.

"Well, unfortunately for us, neither can come." Felicity replied started typing again.

"Why not?"

Felicity gave him a pointed look but didn't stop working. "If you hadn't been training all day, you'd know that Barry has a visitor. It's been on the news all day, Flash and Reverse Flash and some other speedsters have upset the entire Central City."

"Damn!" Rene cursed quietly.

"How are you tracking the bombs?" Dinah asked Felicity."

"I'm looking for receivers. The bombs must be linked so that they can all explode at the same time."

"Does this mean that it's enough to find just one, disabling it and simultaneously stopping the others too?"

"I don't think its that simple." Ray shook his head. "These people are fanatics –no, they're worse than fanatics. They'll want to make sure that their plan will go accordingly."

"That means they can have people guarding the bombs and waiting to activate them in time." John retorted.

Ray send him a painted look. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"Guys, you should get ready and go out." Felicity said. "You need to be on the move the moment I find the locations of the explosives."

"Good idea." Rene complimented and turned to look at Dinah.

The Black Canary became wary of the way they all looked at her. "Why are you looking at me?"

"You heard Barry, you're in charge. So, what do we do?" Ray replied.

 _Right!_ "Okay, then, let's suit up and start looking until Felicity has something concrete." She ordered and Rene and Diggle moved quickly to put their suits on. "Felicity, contact the D.E.O. for help. Star City is huge, just me, John and Rene aren't enough."

"On it." The IT tech replied quickly.

Dinah moved too to wear her Black Canary outfit. She stuck the mask on her face and grabbed her staff, just as Diggle and Rene put on their helmets.

"Do you have the locations?" She asked Felicity.

The blond bit her lip. "I do." She said worriedly.

A map appeared on the computer screen, with dots that marked each explosive area. All four of them gulped. They were too many. No way just them could get to all of them in time.

"And unfortunately, the D.E.O isn't responding. Their communication systems are down for some reason."

"They must be dealing with a problem of their own at the worst time possible." John said holding himself from cursing.

"So, it's just us?" Rene asked.

Felicity nodded quietly, confirming his fear. A desperate feeling tightened Dinah's heart. "We can't possibly do this alone." She said, but suddenly her eyes widened with realization. "But we don't have to."

#

Caitlin sat cozy next to Winn as they, along with J'onn and James, watched their friends depart for an unknown destination. James had come from CatCo just to say goodbye to the team and wish them the best of luck in their search. Caitlin's hazel eyes followed stalker-ish the small, red dot on Winn's monitor.

"Aaaand….they just exited Earth's atmosphere." Winn sang.

"They're on their own now." J'onn sighed.

"Let's just hope everything goes alright." James added.

Winn turned abruptly and sent a weird look at his friend. "Please don't jinx it."

"Seriously, man?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'm just saying." Winn shrugged.

"They'll be fine." J'onn said with conviction.

"And if worse comes to worse, I believe that Cisco can just vibe them out of whatever mess they are stuck in." Caitlin added.

The four of them stared silently at the screen each thinking different things. The atmosphere remained quiet until someone cleared their throat and gained J'onn's attention.

"Excuse me, Director?" an agent said.

J'onn turned around wearing a stoic expression on his face. "Agent Lockwood." He acknowledged.

"I'm back to report, Sir." The agent retorted.

J'onn nodded his head and moved with the agent to his office. Agent Lockwood left his eyes travel to the three others and then followed J'onn. Winn let out a sigh and drummed the fingers of his left hand on the desk.

"So what now?" Caitlin asked.

"I don't know about you, but I need to return to CatCo." James replied starting to get up. "Cat Grant can tolerate only so much of me leaving work."

Both Winn and Caitlin snorted. "Fine. I'll see you later." Winn fist-pumped James.

Caitlin watched as James walked away with a considerate expression. "You two seem to make a good team." She told Winn.

"Yea…" Winn sighed. "First Kara threw me head-first into the Mission Impossible life and then James came to finish the job."

They shared a look and then laughed. "I hope they'll be alright." Caitlin eyed longingly at the monitor.

Winn followed her gaze and sighed wishing the shame but from the inside. But then, something caught his eye. Something that made his blood freeze. And no, it wasn't Frost appearing suddenly next to him.

"Our communications are down." Winn's face paled like he had seen a ghost.

His fingers went straight on the keyboard and started typing code, hoping that he could get the D.E.O's communications up again. From next to him, Caitlin felt like that day Cisco and Barry had talked her into doing the ice bucket challenge. Her eyebrows frowned and a worried line appeared on her forehead.

"Any luck?" she tried not to sound worried.

Winn shook his head not taking his eyes from the screen and his fingers from the keyboard. "I don't know how this could've happened. It-"

But he didn't have the opportunity to continue his sentence as the entire D.E.O was enveloped in darkness. Two seconds later all the exits shut down and an ugly red light illuminated the secret agency. Caitlin reached out and held Winn's hand.

"What is going on?" she asked in fear.

"We're under lockdown." He turned to look at her and his eyes were wide. "I don't know about you, but I think you should let your mean roommate out."

Caitlin watched Winn, then around the room and then back at him. Quietly she nodded and closed her eyes concentrating on Frost's familiar feeling. When she opened her eyes again, they had an icy glow. Winn felt her starting to emanate cold from next to him and her appearance chance. It wasn't the first time he was experiencing change between Caitlin and Frost, but it was still hard to watch as Dr. Snow grew paler and paler, until her skin was covered in ice and her hair had turned white.

Frost looked around unimpressed. " **Hello, little Hobbit.** "

"I'm frightened that you even know what a Hobbit is."

Frost made a face and shrugged. " **Ever since Caitlin and I accepted one another I've been spending some time with her friends. And I'm guessing we're not playing hide and seek.** "

Before Winn could respond with a snarky remark a gun was pointed at them. "You two! Shut up and get on your knees." A voice demanded.

Winn's eyes widened even more. Slowly they both turned around. When the agent saw Frost's icy glowing eyes, his eyes widened in fear.

"No one said Killer Frost would be here."

At the mention of her name, Frost smirked at him. " **Hello, handsome.** "

The next moment ice shot from her hand and went straight in his stomach. The agent fell back and didn't make a word.

" **Sorry about your friend.** " She told Winn in a way that was clear that she wasn't sorry at all.

"He wasn't my friend."

" **Good! Now stay down, I have some killing to do.** "

Before Winn could tell her that she wasn't supposed to kill anyone, Frost was gone. She was very handy with shooting agents with her icicles. And when that didn't work, she tripped them, came around them and stabbed the icicle in their necks herself. Frost could be very brutal when she wanted too. She got up from her newest victim only to feel a gun on her head. She didn't even have time to think. She heard the body drop behind her and the weight lift from her head. Surprised, she turned around and saw Winn holding one of those weapons he had been working on recently, wearing a terrified expression on his face. Frost walked the distance between them. Her face was cold as always. It made Winn drop the weapon and direct his fear on her this time.

" **You saved me."** Her icy voice didn't make her sound any less threatening.

She grabbed Winn from the sweater and brought him closer. Winn squirmed in her grasp.

"Please don't kill me." He cried.

Frost stopped suddenly like his words meant something to her. " **Give me your phone.** " She demanded after finally letting him go.

Without question, Winn gave her his phone and Frost typed something on it. Then she closed her eyes and her icy exterior melted giving back control to Caitlin. Dr. Snow opened her eyes and looked questionably at Winn. When he offered no clue her eyes turned to the phone in her hands. Then she looked even more confused at Winn.

"Why does Frost want me to kiss you?"

Winn turned twenty shades of red. He was thankful now for the red lightning that hid his colored cheeks.

"I saved her." He said in a hurry. "But you need to turn into Frost again and find J'onn."

Caitlin didn't question him.

James was almost out of the D.E.O when the lockdown was activated. The man stopped dead in his tracks, but before he could turn around and go inspect the situation a gun was pointed at his head.

"I know that you're not one of them." a somewhat familiar voice said with hatred. "But sympathizers have to be eliminated as well."

James was not interested to find out who the man was talking about. The shield on his right arm activated and without warning or hesitation James spun around with fast reflexes and knocked it on the person's face. Agent Kramer dropped his gun and brought his hands to his bleeding nose. James scoffed as he saw who his assaulter was.

"I always thought you looked suspicious." He said before knocking him out.

After that, James kneeled down and searched Kramer. He chuckled when he found handcuffs on him. James took advantage of that and quickly put a pair on Kramer's hands and one on his feet. Then he rushed to find Winn and Caitlin…or Frost –whichever personality was in control anyway.

"Tell me, agent Lockwood. How did the mission go?" J'onn asked the agent as they stepped inside his office.

J'onn shut the blinds. When he turned around he found agent Lockwood wearing a very well crafted sad face. "I have bad news, sir." Agent Lockwood sighed. "My men and I searched the entire area, but there was no sign of the subject."

J'onn frowned at the news. "Are you sure, agent?"

"Absolutely, sir." The other man confirmed, nodding his head. "I guess it was false information."

That didn't make sense to J'onn. The men he had sent would have been able to find the asset with ease. And sure, even the D.E.O got wrong information from time to time, but this time the director had used Cisco Ramon's vibing abilities to ensure the location of the subject. So that meant that either Cisco had a terrible day, or most likely his agent was lying to him. J'onn barely narrowed his eyes as he watched Lockwood with a skeptical expression. The agent looked around him barely showing his impatient. He watched him gulp and look around again in what he thought was a discreet way. J'onn got even more suspicious after that. Usually, J'onn considered reading someone's mind without their permission to be utmost rude and invasion of privacy. But when the situation threatened the safety of his department, then all cards were on deck. Unfortunately for J'onn, when he tried to read agent Lockwood's mind, he found that he couldn't. He thought again of how suspicious that was. As far as he knew, he hadn't given his agents any mind blocking technology. J'onn decided to let the agent go for now and keep an eye on him. If he had betrayed the organization, he would make a mistake eventually.

"If that's all, agent, you are dismissed."

"Thank you, sir." The man nodded politely and turned to exit the office, but then he stopped in his tracks. "Actually, sir."

"Yes?"

"Is Supergirl handling a threat in the city? I didn't see her when I came in."

"Supergirl is off planet on a mission. She left almost an hour ago."

Agent Lockwood nodded and mumbled something to himself. Something that sounded a lot like: "That's a shame."

"Is there anything else you wanted?"

"Actually…J'onn." The agent turned around to face him. And as he did that the sleeves of his suit caught fire.

The substance had immediate effect. The flames made the Martian weak and brought him to his knees in seconds. J'onn barely held in the scream from the familiar excruciating pain that spread in his entire body when the flames became alive.

"The sad truth, J'onn is that you are a good person and a great leader." Agent Lockwood said taking small, slow steps towards J'onn. "I actually like you. And I like Supergirl too. Perhaps you two are the only aliens I don't have a problem with."

J'onn tried to crawl away, the closer Lockwood got. Unfortunately, his efforts were not enough.

"So, why are you doing this now? Why betray the D.E.O?"

Even if he would, he couldn't hide the pain from his voice. J'onn's vision clouded. The stabbing pain, the dizzy dancing of the flames on Lockwood's arms…they were too much.

"Because, unfortunately for you and for me and for everyone, Cadmus was right." Lockwood said. "Not with the way they went about it –definitely not that." He chuckled. "And the racist hate is really not my thing, but this is a matter of survival now. You see I may like you and I may like Supergirl –I can't deny that you have been a great source of good in this world."

"But?"

"But you pass along the wrong message. You are a great leader but you inspire to let all aliens have demands on being leaders. Earth cannot be ruled by non-earthly beings." He shouted. "And Supergirl dreams of a utopia that can never exist. If it was up to her all borders would be open and aliens could come and go as they pleased. Come to Earth for a week for vacation or their wedding anniversary, as if we live in some kind of science-fiction movie." He snorted sarcastically.

"Agent Lockwood, listen to me, please…"

"No," Lockwood shook his head. "I'm not a D.E.O agent anymore. I'm an agent of Liberty."

" **And that's why we only let Cisco come up with the names.** " Frost made her glorious entrance. The only thing missing was the heroic music on the background.

Frost smirked at Lockwood and threw ice on him. The aura around his suit glowed and counteracted the ice. Frost watched with sad eyes as her attack was unsuccessful. She wanted to pout.

"It's a force field, Frost." J'onn's pained voice warned her.

"I don't have a problem with you Frosty, go back to Central City."

Frost smirked at Lockwood. " **But I do have a problem with you. My ex-husband used to be on fire. And you are a poor imitation of him.** "

This time Frost aimed at the agent's arms. The ice covered them pouting out the fire. J'onn breathed heavily trying to catch his breath. Finally, his agony had stopped. The agent of Liberty scowled at Frost.

"You accomplished nothing. The fire holding the Martian is down, but I am a trained agent, I can defeat you in battle any day."

To his shocking surprise, Frost laughed. It was a laugh between evil and a snort –she was still working on it.

" **Oh, honey, but you won't be moving.** "

Frost was more of a do person than talk, so she didn't explain what she meant, just demonstrated. Her hands shot quickly forwards and iced –yes iced- Lockwood around the force field of his suit. The ice meta created a human-sized ice cube around the former agent. Once pleased with her work, Frost lowered her hands and smiled to herself. From somewhere behind Winn picked his head in J'onn's office. When he saw that the field was safe he rushed to help J'onn on his feet.

"Thank you for your help, Frost." J'onn nodded to the ice meta with gratitude. "How many are out there?"

" **Around twenty.** "

"Them James and I can handle those. You should escort Winn to the control room to lift the lockdown protocol."

"Hey, look!" Winn pointed at the iced agent. "You made a huge ice cube. Could you make me a sculpture, I saw one-"

" **Move it.** " Frost grabbed the blabbing Winn and shoved him out of the office.

#

"Dad?" Alex could not believe her eyes.

She could picture her father working for Cadmus –he had done it in the past. But she had thought he was dead after she had left him to detonate the bombs the last time she had seen him. Like then, her father had been working for the anti-alien organization under the threat of killing her and Kara. Alex had been lucky to convince him to help her destroy the facility that was used to send thousands of aliens in a far away solar system.

The shock on Alex's face was mirrored by her father. The scientist stared at his daughter opening and closing his mouth wanting to say so much but not knowing where to start.

"Alex, what are you doing here?" it was what he eventually managed to mutter.

"Stopping you, apparently." Alex said painfully.

Jeremiah shucked in a breath. "No, it's not like that. They're making me do this."

"Oh, really?" Alex chuckled done with his excuses. "Did they threatened to kill me again?" she asked sarcastically. "Or are they going to out Kara as Supergirl?"

Jeremiah shook his head. "No, but they are going to kill you if you don't leave immediately." He said desperately. "If they catch you… Alex, you and Kara can't beat them alone."

"She's not alone." Sara appeared from their hiding spot with Oliver close behind her.

The look White Canary gave Jeremiah Danvers was of a dead man's walking.

"Who-who are they?" he asked his daughter.

Alex lowered her gun. "They're my friends."

"Tell us what Cadmus is working on." Oliver demanded.

Jeremiah stared at the man with the green hood and gulped. "The less you know the better."

"That's not exactly helpful." Sara stubbed him with her eyes.

"You don't know my father." Alex's voice was leased with disappointment. "He only knows how to betray you."

"Alex, please, I don't have a choice." Jeremiah pleaded.

Alex scoffed. "You know I'm getting tired of hearing that excuse."

"They have your mother."

Dead silence. Alex breathed deeply. She tried spotting any sign that her father was lying. When she found none she fell a few steps back where Sara and Oliver caught her.

"Where do they keep her." She demanded.

Jeremiah's expression remained sorrowful. "I have no idea." He admitted. "I just watch her through a camera."

"We'll find her." Oliver promised.

"You can't." Jeremiah said defeated. "And even if you do, you can't escape Cadmus. I know better than anyone." He sighed. "I've been trying time after time with no success."

"You will this time." Sara promised him with conviction. "We'll help you. Now tell us about the project you're working on."

Jeremiah chuckled humorlessly. "I'm afraid not even you can help us."

Sara seemed unaffected by his defeated expression. "This guy," she pointed at Oliver. "Survived five years in hell. And I have died two times." She revealed watching Dr. Danver's eyes widen. "How does our odds sound now?"

Disbelief crossed Jeremiah's face. His eyes traveled from the White Canary to the Green Arrow and his daughter.

"She's telling the truth." Alex confirmed. "Our lives have become a lot more interesting this past year. And Kara and I have a lot me powerful allies."

"I thought we were friends?" Sara nagged at her playfully.

Alex smiled. "We are."

"I'll tell you what you need to know." Jeremiah said finally, after seeing the look on Alex's face.

"Thank you doctor." Oliver nodded. "This project you're working on, is it the Worldkillers?"

Jeremiah looked surprised at the other man. "How do you know that?"

"We know." was all Oliver said with a stoic expression. "You need to give Alex all the details."

"Unfortunately, he won't be able to." Another voice said.

The four of them turned around prepared to fight. There were three men in front of them. They were all men and they all rigged arrogance. One of them was bald, the other had a purple Mohawk and the third dreadlocks.

"Oh-ow!" Sara mumbled.

"Do you know them?" Oliver asked.

"Not personally. But the League of Assassins considered them a big threat. If they are who I think they are, they're called The Longbow Hunters."

"Great." Alex mumbled sarcastically.

"So, how do you prefer to die?" the short one asked swinging the knife in his hand.

"I'd rather not." Oliver said.

"And even if you kill us, I'll just come back." Sara smirked.

Oliver tilted closer to her. "The Lazarus Pit is gone." He whispered to her.

"But they don't know that." She whispered back.

Both sides stared at each other for a long time. Then, all of a sudden and without warning all hell broke loose. Alex pushed her father down, in case he got shot at and joined the Green Arrow and White Canary in fighting. She took on the one that was left, the one with the purple hair. They danced around the room trading deadly blows. Her enemy got dropped down and clocked around knocking her off her feet. Alex landed painfully on her back but she rocked her feet and got back up. Then charged at him.

Oliver was fighting the biggest one. He held a katana. Oliver fought him with his bow. Arrows didn't have an advantage in a short distance. Quite the opposite actually. So, Oliver continued blocking his opponent's advances with the bow, until he saw an opening.

Sara was in a similar situation swinging her staff around and getting more damage done than Oliver. However, all of them were tough fighters. They were equal to League of Assassins training. That's how Alex found herself with her gun knocked out of her hands and Sara with a deadlock around her neck. Oliver was violently pushed across the hall and rolled down the stairs. He knocked his head on the way down. Oliver groaned when he stopped rolling. His vision spun around, but he didn't have the luxury of waiting for it to clear. He got on his feet and the view that greeted him was beyond anything he had ever seen. He was inside the lab that Cadmus kept the Worldkillers. Three enormous tubes were on the side with more, smaller tubes coming out of them leading to God knows where. And inside them…monsters. That's what Oliver saw. Three monsters sleeping ready to be awaken and destroy everything in their paths. Alex and Sara landed next to him taking him by surprise. The two women groaned as they helped one another get up. From the top of the stairs, the Longbow Hunters grinned at them like predators and started walking down for another round, more confident for their victory now.

"You are too late." Another voice gained their attention.

Lillian Luthor stood proudly in the center of the lab. She stared at them with superior expression. Like she knew she had already won. And then she raised her. After that, the three of them remember it in slow motion. Neither knew who saw it first. The button Lillian's hand was directly above of. But all of them guessed what it did. A scream tore from their throats and Alex's hands reached out as if they could elongate and stop the inevitable from happening. But she wasn't a metahuman. For a moment Oliver wondered if that's what it was like for Barry every moment of every day. And Sara almost saw her life flash in front of her eyes. Then Lillian's hand pushed the button and everything else sped up. The three Worldkillers opened their eyes and broke out of their tubes. At first, they didn't do anything, they just stared. But then they started rampaging everything.

"My dad." Alex shouted at her friends.

Oliver and Sara were quick on their feet. The hunters turned their attention to the monster forgetting about them for a moment. Sara, Alex, and Oliver were mid-stairs when it happened. They heard a scream and the three of them turned around just in time to watch one of the Worldkillers tear them one by one. The other two finished off what remained of Cadmus operatives. Alex felt like screaming from the horror. Sara closed her mouth with her hand and send an understanding look at her.

Quiet. They remained deadly quiet in the middle of the stairs, trying more than their best to not make a sound. The Worldkillers growled and after noticing that nothing moved they flew up and away leaving a huge hole in the ceiling.

Alex, Oliver and Sara looked completely spooked at each other. And no one remembered who asked. Simply, because all of them were wondering the same thing.

"What do we do now?"


	46. The Gods of New Genesis

Chapter 46

The spaceship was shaking uncontrollably.

"Why are they shooting at us?" Cisco yelled.

"Maybe because they think we are invading their planet." Jax yelled at him.

"But they aren't letting us explain." Cisco complained.

Another blast hit the spaceship making it shake even more. Cisco cursed. Stein said a prayer and Zatanna tried to even her breathing.

"Shoot back!" Jax yelled.

"I am shooting!" Cisco yelled back.

"I'm going out." Kara stated and unfastened her seatbelt.

Mon-El caught her hand as soon as she got up from her seat. "Wait. I'm not sure that's such a good idea." He said worriedly.

"Well, we're not getting anywhere by staying in here." She reasoned. "Maybe I can convince them that we're here peacefully."

"Just be careful."

Kara smiled sweetly and kissed him. "I will."

She flew out of the spaceship and landed with force in the middle of the soldiers. The inhabitants paused as they took in the display of her power but pointed their weapons on her. Kara looked around her. They all looked the same in her eyes. They were wearing gold armor and if this wasn't real she would have laughed, thinking that they looked like the elves from 'Hobbit'. Kara saw as the sea of soldiers parted and a bigger man stepped from behind them. She immediately knew that this alien was their General or at least that he led the army.

"We come here in peace. We are looking for Orion. We need to speak to him." She said to the General.

But the General glared at her with hatred. "You won't kill our prince, Kryptonian. Kill her." He commanded.

Supergirl just barely managed to fly up. The soldiers started shooting at her. Kara didn't try attacking them. She only defended herself. She blew from her mouth to stop the blasts from hitting her and used her heat vision to blast the ground next to the soldiers' feet. She only did that to scare them.

For those on the spaceship, things weren't much better. A particular strong blast hit them, destroying the shield that protected them. Cisco cursed as he watched the alert glowing on the control. And then he saw them ready to shoot them again. With panicked eyes, he turned around.

"Zatanna get us out o here NOW!"

Zatanna's eyes widened. "Teg su tuo." She shouted.

The next thing the five of them knew, they were standing outside, as the spaceship exploded above their heads.

"Goodbye, Falcon." Cisco sobbed.

Kara landed near them taking a stand with her friends. It was only then that Cisco realized that they had been transported in the center of the alien army. And they all looked ready to attack them.

"Dleihs." Zatanna cast another spell.

A force field was created around the team, shielding them from their enemy's attacks.

"It didn't work. They aren't listening to me."

"Well, we need to come up with a plan fast. My protective shield won't hold for much longer. Their weapons are strong even for my magic."

"I say we form a circle and blast whoever comes forward." Jax suggested.

Since that was the only plan on the table, they agreed to do it that way.

"Just don't hold back." Kara told them. "They are very strong and almost bulletproof."

"You're not comforting me right now, Kara." Cisco squealed.

Jax and Stein bonded into Firestorm and they all took fighting stances next to each other. As soon as the magical shield broke all hell broke loose. From Supergirl changing between freezing them and blasting her heat vision, to Mon-El who had taken a more traditional fighting, using his fists, kicks and even some headbutts. Zatanna at some point had turned the solid ground into quicksand. Cisco was blasting vibrations of a frequency unlike any other and Firestorm threw fire like there was no tomorrow. The only problem was that the longer they defended themselves, the more soldiers appeared to fight them. Their spirits fell once they noticed that.

"Is it just me or is this not working?" Cisco asked.

"It's not working." Kara confirmed.

" _I believe that there is only one way to end this, Jefferson."_ Stein said inside Jax's head.

"Are you serious? Guys, Grey has an idea." He paused to listen to Stein. "What?! But this is crazy, Grey. Of course. You are right. There is no other way." He said. "Z, you should make one of your shields again. And make it super special this time." He ordered. "I got this."

Firestorm flew higher and higher until he reached a certain point. Then he clapped his hands together and started building up fire. The fusion grew bigger and bigger in his hands and soon the heat he emanated reached very high levels. From the ground, the others watched him confused.

"What are they doing?" Mon-El asked.

"They are growing hotter, but…" suddenly Cisco's eyes widen in realization and then his expression turned horrified. "There are going nuclear."

"What!" Kara and Zatanna yelled shocked at the same time.

"No, they can't do this. Firestorm, stand down." Kara ordered.

"We can finish this." Jax objected.

Kara glared at the metahuman. "I said stand down. We too. We are going to surrender."

They wanted to object. To insist that they could fight their way out. But Supergirl sent them a strong look that reminded them that she was their leader. Firestorm flew down and all of them got on their knees holding their hands up in surrender. The General and some of his men walked to them and then wore handcuffs on their hands.

"Take them to the dungeon." He ordered.

#

The Flash watched with confusion and wariness at the newcomers. The five of them stood on the futuristic flying disk dressed up as the Rogues he knew and their leader was Cold.

"Snart?" he asked frowning.

The surprise and disbelief in his voice was hard to miss. The one dressed like Captain Cold rolled his eyes behind the fury hood and the protective glasses.

"I am not Leonard Snart." He replied coldly. "None of us are who you think we are." He pointed at his partners behind him.

It was hard to believe him really. Despite the fact that he was dressed like Captain Cold, his team was constructed by someone who was dressed as Heatwave, another as Weather Wizard and they even had Mirror Master and Top with them. As far as trust went, this evidence were hard to dismiss.

"I don't care who you are." Savitar stepped forward wearing a cynical smirk on his face. "I don't trust anyone dressed as a Rogue."

Flash pressed his hand on Savitar's chest before the speedster could do anything. "Don't do anything rush." He warned.

His time remnant looked at him with an unimpressed expression. "We may have a deal, Flash, but you're not the boss of me."

"Thanks for that by the way." Jesse Quick said sarcastically.

"Yea," Kid Flash added. "Thanks for including us in on your secret. And I can't believe you made a deal with him."

Barry sighed. "I needed your reaction to be genuine. If Thawne suspected anything, the entire thing could go off the rails."

"Perhaps we should move this conversation to a less public place." Fake Captain Cold suggested.

This time Barry turned around and gave him a stupid look. "As if. I don't trust you. I don't even know you."

Fake Cold sighed and jumped down from the floated disk. The rest of the Rogues remained on it though.

"You can call me Commander Cold. My team is called The Renegades and we are cops."

Savitar snorted. "I find that hard to believe."

Cold send an unimpressed look in his direction. "We come from the 25th century. In the future, the CCPD realizes that the skills the Rogues had were very resourceful. So they decided to use them to their benefit instead. We were trained accordingly and ever since we became active we've had zero cold cases."

"Still…" Flash said thoughtfully. "How do I know that you're saying the truth?"

"He is, grandpa." Bart's small voice said out of nowhere. "They are from my time."

The boy tucked himself under Barry's arm and looked at his grandfather with honest eyes. The Flash sighed.

"Fine. I guess we can move this to STAR labs."

At once the speedsters moved forward, but not before Savitar made a snarky remark about Barry being a sucker. The Renegades followed behind them on that flying disk. Surprisingly, it moved almost as fast as them. It made Barry wonder just how far technology had improved in the future. Flash tapped his earpiece and spoke.

"We're coming over. Stay in the time vault."

He needed Iris, William and Samantha to be safe. Bart might have insisted in the Renegades integrity, but Barry knew that when it came to STAR labs, shit could go down very fast. Savitar ran the Reverse Flash into a containment cell in the pipeline and Jay and Wally threw the other speedster in the cell next to Thawne. Barry decided to have the conversation in the pipeline area. He didn't want to expose the core of their headquarters. Barry took a look around and frowned when he saw only two of the three speedsters that were supposed to occupy the prison cells.

"Where's the other speedster? The one with the white and gold suit."

"He is at Iron Heights." Savitar replied simply.

Barry widened his eyes at him. "What?" he asked confused.

"You are not going to believe who he was." Wally's tone confirmed that Savitar was telling the truth.

Barry pierced his green eyes on Kid Flash urging him to continue.

"It was dad's partner." Wally sighed.

Barry felt like someone was playing a sick joke on him. "Detective Heart?" he asked again in disbelief.

"Oh, come on." Savitar snorted. "It's not that surprising. Thawne and his little Satan-spawn have been manipulating everyone."

"What do you mean?"

Savitar rolled his eyes dramatically. "He's been feeding Heart lies from the start. And when I told him the truth the fucker broke down from the guilt and run to lock himself up in Iron Heights." He told him. "I escorted him myself there, so I know he didn't just run off. And he took the blame for all the murders of those twelve people that were missing."

Barry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ever since he had been struck by lightning he had become the impossible. And yet, there were times that even he draw the line, that some things were just…impossible.

"And this guy?" he nodded to the other unknown speedster lying in the cell next to Thawne.

"This one," Savitar started with a smirk. "You are REALLY not going to believe who he is."

Then he sped inside the containment cell and revealed the face of the man. Barry and Wally gasped in horror. However, neither Jesse nor Jay had met the man behind the mask. To be honest, not in a billion years would Barry had guessed the speedster's identity. Because how could he imagine that he was the one and only dead Eddie Thawne.

"Eddie…" his friend's name barely left Barry's lips. The sound was so quiet that he wasn't sure if he had spoken the name or if it was just an echo inside his head.

"How?" Wally whispered in a similar manner.

The youngest West didn't have the opportunity to meet the nice person that his sister had described. But he knew from Iris' stories that he would have liked his dad's former partner.

"Cicada brought him to life." Savitar provided them with the information. "That's what the twelve victims were for. All of them sacrifices of people saved by the Flash in order to resurrect the one who sacrificed his life to save the Flash."

A tear fell down Barry's cheek as he turned to stare at the scared face of his time remnant.

"This is my fault." He whimpered.

Savitar rolled his eyes again at Barry's….not purity…ah, yes, silliness. "Hardly. If anything Thawne and Thad are responsible for everything."

"I don't understand," Jay spoke for the first time. "I thought that detective Eddie was your friend. Why would he help Eobard?"

"He was brainwashed. Literally." Savitar replied again. "Thawne has the technology to enter someone's memories and manipulate them, change them." He told them. "He has done it again to Rip Hunter."

"This is sick." Jesse felt nausea in her stomach.

"And that is the reason we need to take him with us in the future along with Eobard Thawne." Commander Cold stated.

Barry felt like he was hit with Snart's cold gun. "Excuse me, what?!" he demanded.

The commander gave him a blunt look. "It's quite simple, to be frank. Despite Eddie's memories having been altered, he was also resurrected by Cicada. It is known in the future that the people he brings back to life don't have a happy ending. After a while, they are driven insane and their bodies fade away after a while. Which is why it's better that he comes with us to be observed and if the court agrees he will be put out of his misery before he goes insane."

"That's the right move, Barry." Savitar pointed out.

The Flash took a while to breathe and collect himself from the bomb that exploded on his face. "Fine." He choked finally. "But what about the younger speedster?"

"Inertia is not our problem." Cold said. "Our mission is to retrieve the Reverse Flash and Eddie Thawne."

"Then perhaps you can take Bart with you too. If you're from the same time period you can return him to his parents."

"We are not from the same time period." Commander Cold snapped. "And even if we were, we are not your taxi-drivers-through-time."

"But he is stuck in this time and you have the technology to return him."

"Not my problem." He replied coldly. "Find your own way to get your kid home. Now open the cell."

Barry did –even with a heavy heart. Cold remained on the floating disk, while the other Renegades carried the two speedsters from the prison cells.

"I should go with you." Jay interfered at some point. "Not to say that I don't trust you, but you are dressed as Rogues and I need to make sure that those two will be handed to the future police."

Cold eyed Jay from behind the goggles. "Fine."

"Then I should come with you." Jesse added.

Barry gave them a nod and then they all left. In the pipeline remained only Barry, Wally and Savitar. Oh, and Bart. Savitar clapped Barry's shoulder and smirked at him.

"Come on. I just thought of a way to send Bart home safely."

Barry's eyes glowed as he realized what his time remnant was suggesting.

"I'll go check on Iris and the others." Wally said before he ran off.

The three speedsters that remained entered the accelerator and started running around in. Together, they combined their speeds and build up even more. After a few circles, the Speedforce portal opened and the three of them entered it. Surrounded by the blue and electric energy was not a fist for either. Though, Bart hadn't pay much attention when he had traveled to the past the first time.

"Alright, Bart. You need to think of the exact moment you left." Barry advised his grandson. "Focus on it. Picture it in your mind."

And Bart did. He remembered his older grandpa instructing him how and when to time travel. He saw his cousin, XS, helping him by throwing him into the open Speedforce. And just like that, the scene appeared in front of his vision. Bart opened his eyes and saw Barry smiling proudly at him. Then he and Savitar caught him by the arms and jumped out of the Speedforce.

"I can't believe you dad." Someone was yelling. "I mean, how could you? He is my son."

"Donny, please understand…"

"Don't call me, Donny." The other interrupted. "It's either Don or Donovan."

"Donovan Henry Allen, don't yell at your father." That was a woman's voice.

"Oh, come on mom, it's not-" but whatever Don was about to say was forgotten when his eyes fell on Bart.

"Bart." He whispered like he couldn't believe his eyes.

Bart sped to his father and the two of them hugged like they hadn't seen each other in ages.

"See? I told you they would get him home safely." Older Barry chuckled.

Past Barry took in his future self with wide eyes full of curiosity. He was old –too old. His hair had turned white and there were wrinkles all over his face. His older self smiled knowingly at him and then turned his gaze on Savitar.

"Hello, Savi." He said softly.

Barry felt Savitar tense next to him. "Don't call me that." He growled.

It was meant to be intimidating but older Barry just chuckled. "Right. I forgot you prefer to be called Barry again."

Savitar growled, clearly not liking his future self talking to him like that. "And how do you know that?" he demanded.

Grey Barry chuckled. "For your information, Iris and I are expecting you for dinner today."

Both Barry and Savitar were about to say something. Barry to ask for an explanation and Savitar to throw a snarky remark. But neither got the chance because another speedster rushed in. This time it was a woman. She looked exactly like Iris.

"What happened? Oh, Bart, you are back. I was so worried."

"I'm fine, Aunt Dawn." Bart reassured her. "They got me back." He pointed at them.

Don and Dawn both looked at the past versions.

"Dad." They both gasped.

"You look exactly like in the pictures." Dawn continued.

Barry didn't know what to say, so he just smiled shyly and waved his hand. Don turned to his father – the older Barry.

"You knew about this." He accused. "You knew that past you would get him home."

Future Barry gave his son a compassionate look. "I would never put Bart in risk."

"Did it at least work?" Dawn asked.

Bart smiled brightly at his Aunt. "Sure did, Aunt Dawn. I'm cured." He said excitedly. "Well, we need to go back." Barry said hating to interrupt the family reunion.

"Sure, and thank you for bringing Bart home." Don thanked them.

Barry only managed to nod his head once before Bart was by his side and hugging the life out of him. "I'm going to miss this version of you, grandpa."

"You still got me buddy." Barry promised. "You still got me."

"Come on, lest go." Savitar urged him.

Barry let go of Bart and positioned himself ready to run.

"Oh, and Savi." They heard older Barry shout. "Tell Cisco, Earth-128."

Savitar looked confused at him. "What?"

Older Barry just smirked and gave him a knowing look. "That'd the Earth your wife is waiting for you."

#

Captain Pike swore that it was all the Green Arrow's fault. After all, he was the one that started it all. Frank didn't care that people considered the Hood, the Vigilante, the Arrow, and the Green Arrow to be four different people, the Star City Police Captain knew it in his bones that it was all bullshit. There was only one archer with green arrows in his city changing names like he's changing clothes. He was minding his own business nice and well, worrying where he should take his wife for their anniversary when his computer screen blackened. Captain Pike almost jumped out of his chair once he realized that his computer had been taken over by a hacker. Before he could think of doing anything, letters started typing on the screen.

 _There's a bomb in your department. Be careful, it could be heavily guarded._

 _~ Overwatch_

The Captain sighed exhausted. He was tired of that shit. "Well, fuck!"

"We are in position, Overwatch." Dinah informed the hacker as soon as she and Wild Dog stepped foot outside the Mayor's office. "Did you inform the SCPD?"

"Sure did." came felicity's reply. "I kinda wish I was there to see Pike's reaction, though."

Dinah rolled her eyes. "Alright, we are moving in."

The Black Canary nodded a signal at Wild Dog, who followed her to the front desk and the guards standing there. Needless to say that upon spotting the two heroes, all four guards tensed up.

"You need to call in the rest of your men." Black Canary spoke with conviction. "And you need to get everybody out of here without causing panic. There's a bomb."

All men paled at her words. They gulped and nodded their heads. Pleased with that, Black Canary waved at Wind Dog again and left for the upper floors of the Mayor's office.

"And where are the others?" Spartan asked from across the city.

"Up here."

John looked up and saw Vixen flying above his head. Mari landed next to the hero and gave him a smile.

"It's good to see you again. If only it was under better circumstances." Spartan smiled back.

"Agreed." Vixen nodded and then motioned ahead of her.

The second bomb the 9th Circle had placed Felicity had located it at the Star City's football stadium. They passed the gates getting weird and scared looks –no surprise there.

"Alright, I'll take the east bleachers and you take the west." Mari said scanning the area like she had x-ray vision.

"Agreed." John nodded splitting up. "How about the others, Overwatch?"

"We just arrived." Hawkgirl said over the comms.

She and her partner, Hawkman, landed in the middle of the Star City square. Their large wings hid inside their shoulders as soon as they started walking. Several loud gasps echoed around them. They heard others whisper that they couldn't believe what they were seeing. And others immediately took out their phones to record the two reincarnated lovers and newest members of the League.

"What are we looking for, Overwatch?" Hawkgirl asked bringing her hand to her ear.

"And how long do we have?" Hawkman added.

Felicity groaned in the Bunker. "I don't know. It's a bomb, okay, it will look like a bomb looks. It could be hidden in plain sight, so be observant. You only have fifteen minutes. Barely."

"You are not very helpful, are you?" Carter growled quietly.

Kendra punched him in the arm and glared at him. Carter tried to make a sheepish look at her, but it only made her stare at him even more. Okay, so maybe he didn't have Kara or Barry's adorable pouty look going on for him.

"Alright." Kendra whispered to herself and took a deep breath. "EVERYBODY LEAVE NOW!" she yelled on the top of her lungs. "MOVE IT PEOPLE."

Well, that was efficient, as everybody started running as fast as they could. Young people, families, dogs…it seemed that even the birds decided to abandon their trees at Hawkgirl's loud command. And soon everybody had left the square. All but five people.

"I guess we found our bomb." Carter said to his partner and Kendra couldn't help but agree.

"Something is bothering me." Ray said from next to Felicity. "Can you show me the map with the bomb locations again?"

Felicity arched an eyebrow but opened the map again without complain. Ray frowned deeply as he studied the map again.

"I don't see what's so weird about it." Felicity shrugged. "They are random locations spread around Star City.

"No, they're not." Ray gasped. "Connect the locations."

Intrigued, Felicity did connect each of the five bomb locations. What they saw made them gasp.

"What is it, guys?" Dinah demanded.

"It's a star." Felicity replied still astonished.

"Like Star City star?" Rene said sarcastically. "So what, our criminals have a sense of humor?"

"I don't think that's it." Felicity objected.

"What's in the middle?" Ray pointed out.

Both he and Felicity came close to the screen. Their eyes scanned for any kind of clue. But…

"I don't see anything."

"I think I should go take a look." Ray said getting up.

Felicity looked up to him and nodded. "I think you should."

In the Mayor's office, Black Canary and Wind Dog had just found the bomb. Unfortunately for them, it was guarded by five scary looking men. They were wearing black hoods –like that is not cliché at all. But as soon as they lowered them, both heroes felt like puking their guts. The men of the 9th Circle were burned from head to toe. The burns were so bad as if they had dived into hot lava. Just the look of these men could scare away even the toughest person. Rene couldn't comprehend why someone would agree to be burned alive just to be part of a cult. Dinah could though. If she was right, then the 9th Circle burned their followers because in case of capture no amount of torture could be worse than the pain they had already felt. The bare thought of that made her sick to her stomach. More than ever did she want to capture these guys now.

"I guess it's time you put that sonic scream of yours to good use."

"Bomb is secured on our end." Hawkgirl's voice was heard through the comms.

"Just a warning, though. We run into some very disturbing looking cult people." Hawkman warned.

"Too late." Wind Dog said. "We are fighting some right now."

"And they are very tough to beat." Dinah added.

In the football stadium, Spartan and Vixen were not having the best of luck.

"I can't find the bomb anywhere." He said frustrated.

"Me neither. It's not underneath or on the bleachers."

John's eyes widened. "Unless it's on the field."

From across the bleachers, Mari's eyes widened too. "There's one way to find out."

Mari touched her magical totem summoning the wolf spirit. Then she turned her ear towards the field and closed her eyes to concentrate. Spartan waited patiently, but anxious to hear from her. Then, suddenly, Vixen's eyes popped open, wild and alarmed.

"It's inside the ball." She gasped.

Neither knew who moved first. But they both found themselves speeding down the bleachers and jumping on the fresh-cut grass.

"STOP THE GAME!" they both screamed.

The football players were more startled than anyone. The way both vigilantes just jumped in the middle of their game made them come to an unexpected stop.

"Didn't you hear? Everybody out." Spartan yelled.

"There's a bomb." His partner added.

There wasn't much else needed to be said. Players, fans, and coaches all made a run for it in the most chaotic way possible. So much for keeping things calm. But, in situations like this one can do only so much to present calmness. Spartan and Vixen shared a concerned look and then approached the ball cautiously. Unlike the City hall and the square, they didn't find any resistance in acquiring the bomb. The 9th Circle must have thought that no one would think to look inside a football for a deadly explosive. Standing right above it now, Vixen summoned the wolf spirit one more time and used it's sharp nails to rip the football apart. Despite knowing that it was in there, they couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the explosive being revealed.

Diggle gulped and brought his hand to his ear. "Bomb retrieved on our end too. What do we do now, Overwatch?"

"We have to bomb too." Black Canary said as she and Wild Dog finished off the last member. "Where the hell is Oracle?"

"I'm sorry we are late to the party." A strange voice said in their comms. "But Gotham is a little far from Star City. No worries, though. My team is currently inside the Star City Art Gallery and taking care of things."

"It's about time." Felicity replied with relief. "So, I guess we should establish a connection between our communication systems." She suggested.

"Agreed."

"Ray what's your status?" Felicity asked multitasking.

"I'm inside an underground building." Ray replied. "It looks like someone's headquarters." Then he stopped.

Felicity frowned. "What happened? Ray?"

The Atom looked at his surroundings and felt sick. All the equipment that was in this room meant only one thing. "It's a contingency plan."

"A what?" everyone asked, including Oracle.

"A contingency plan." Ray said again more neurotically. "In case the bombs don't go off. Then this one will." He informed them. "And guys, this one is big enough to level almost half the city."

"And we have another problem." Spartan said suddenly. He had kneeled down next to the bomb and inspected it. "I've served in Afghanistan and in A.R.G.U.S for some time, and I've never seen a bomb like this before."

Felicity froze in her place. "You mean you can't disarm it?"

"No, I don't think so."

It the art gallery Batman and Nightwing had blown out the power. Hidden in the dark they were able to avoid been seen by the people who started rushing out as soon as the lights turned off. Vigilante and sidekick saw the men of the 9th Circle and smirked to each other. Years…for years they had been after them with nothing but dead ends. And now they had a chance for some real progress. A step forward to their never-ending stillness. Batman dropped the sedative gas and he and Nightwing watched as the men fell on the floor asleep. They were wearing oxygen masks of course, so that they wouldn't breathe in the gas. Their technique was faster and more efficient. It did the job without extra actions. Batman and Nightwing jumped from the ceiling and started looking for the bomb.

"Okay, everyone needs to calm down." Dinah ordered through the comms.

"But you heard Spartan, he can't disarm the bombs." Wild Dog complained.

"What if we can fly them to a less populated area?" Felicity suggested out of hurry and desperation.

"That's not better than letting them explode in Star City." Ray objected.

"He is right. We can't have another Havenrock incident on our conscience." Spartan added.

Felicity bit her lip feeling immediately guilty. "Then what do you suggest? We can't just let them explode?"

"Maybe we should evacuate." Hawkgirl suggested.

"We can't evacuate the entire city." Black Canary argued.

"Batman may be able to disarm the bombs." Oracle said.

"But there's no time." Felicity said feeling more desperate than ever. "There're four minutes left."

"We need to get all bombs in one place." Dinah said finally. "The least we can do is minimize the explosion. Kendra, fly to SCPD and get the bomb. The rest of us should go to Ray as fast as we can." Then she turned to Rene. "I'm taking your bike."

"Just hurry."

The Hawks grew wings in the square. Carter took the bomb and flew towards Ray's location and Kendra made a stop at the police station first. In the football stadium, Vixen took the bomb in her hands and with the vulture spirit, she flew as fast as she could.

Meanwhile, in the Bunker, Felicity had an epiphany. "That's it!" she gasped. "We move the bombs. Oracle I leave you in charge for a while."

"Where are you going?" the other hacker demanded.

"To get our own contingency plan." Was the only thing she said.

Felicity ran to the alien portal they had inside the Bunker and quickly activated it. Then she passed through and right into STAR labs. Without wasting time she run to Cisco's workshop and started looking around. Where had this man put it? When she found what she was looking for she grinned and rushed back.

"What do you mean I need to go to the Atom's location?" Batman demanded.

He and Nightwing had just found the bomb and his partner was tying up the burned criminals. He only had a moment to look at the explosive before Oracle told him the plan was not to try and disarm it but bring them all to the same place.

"I don't care if their guy can't do it. I can try."

"There's no time." Oracle reasoned with him –which was hard to do because Bruce was unreasonable most of the time.

"She's right." Nightwing backed her up. "We are two minutes out. Even if you succeed, there's no time for the other four."

Batman cursed. "Damn it."

He ran to the Batmobile as fast as he could, leaving Nightwing behind. He pushed the vehicle to its limits with only one goal. Get to the others on time. And he did. He reached the center of the star just as Hawkgirl was landing with the final bomb from the SCPD. The Atom, Black Canary, Hawkman, and Vixen were waiting for them outside the underground facility.

"No time for introductions." He growled. "What is your plan?" he demanded.

No one replied to him. Black Canary brought her hand to her ear and spoke to the comms. "Where are you Overwatch?"

A sudden breach opened in front of them and Felicity jumped out.

"I had to get this from Vibe's place." She gasped for breath.

In her hand she held the inter-dimensional extrapolator. Dinah grinned at the sight of the device. She knew what Felicity wanted to do now.

"Guys, twenty seconds left." Oracle warned them.

Dinah and Felicity lost their smiles. Felicity pointed the extrapolator and pressed the button opening another breach.

"Quickly! Throw them in."

Batman looked suspicious and Vixen hesitated. But the Black Canary gave them all the push they needed when she threw the bomb into the breach without a second thought. The Hawks followed her example, trusting the hero. And then Ray, Vixen and Batman followed as well. Just as the last bomb passed through, the explosion was heard and the breach closed before the flames of the blast passed through.

All of them let out a big breath they were holding.

"Where did that breach lead anyway?" Black Canary asked curiously.

Felicity smirked. "Lian Yu." She shrugged. "It's not like it hasn't been blown up before."

#

Heavy footsteps echoed in the dungeons. It was dark and cold and scary.

"How are we going to get out of here this time?" Cisco asked defeated.

"Why don't you ask Kara?" Jax said defensively. "It was her brilliant idea."

"Hey!" Mon-El shouted ready to defend his girlfriend.

Kara stayed quiet. She knew that it was her fault that they were in this current predicament. However, she hadn't see any other option at the time and she wasn't about to let Firestorm vaporize an entire civilization.

The footsteps grew closer and the sound of something metallic echoed in the walls of the dungeon. Finally, a figure stepped in front of the bars. The alien was huge and strong and from the aura around him extremely dangerous.

"Why did you come to New Genesis invaders." He demanded strongly.

Kara stood on her feet and walked closer to the bars. "We're not here to invade your planet. We came peacefully, looking for answers." She told him.

The alien looked like he didn't believe her completely. "Answers about what?"

"We're not entirely sure. We only came to your planet because we know someone named Orion lives here and he is the only one who can help us."

The alien looked intrigued now. "So, tell me. What did you want to ask him?"

Kara eyed him but shook her head. "No, this is too important for us. I only need to speak to Orion."

"I am Orion. Now if you want my help, talk." He ordered.

Kara blinked in surprise. And she saw no other option. So she told him. "We have valid information that someone that goes by the name of Darkseid is going to attack our planet. We came searching for you to learn how to stop him and defend ourselves."

Orion remained deadly quiet after hearing Kara's explanation. It was clear, however, that her words had a drastic effect on him. After a while, he snapped out of it.

"Guards!" he yelled. "Open the cells." And then he turned to Kara again. "You all need to come with me now."

The others got up and walked behind Kara. The Girl of Steel eyed Orion skeptically. "Why?"

"We need to talk to Highfather."

Orion led the six of them with a fast pace. They passed rooms decorated with the most luxurious things and guards dressed in golden armor.

"I want to congratulate you on a job well done, General Gideon." Highfather was saying in the throne room. "You defended New Genesis from the invaders…who my son is bringing in the throne room right now?" Highfather frowned as he watched Orion and the six newcomers trailing behind him. "What is going on, my son? Why have you freed our attackers?"

"They are not attackers, Highfather." Orion spoke with respect. "As a matter of fact," he eyed General Gideon for a moment. "if the General had waited to hear them out instead of firing at once, our men wouldn't have died for no reason and the situation would have been resolved."

"But they killed the one-third of our men." The General objected.

"We defended ourselves." Kara shot at him. "You fired at us, destroyed our ship and then refused to listen when we asked to talk. Even when we asked to speak to Orion, you ordered your men to kill us."

"I'll deal with you later, General. Now step outside." Highfather ordered. "I want to speak to Orion and the aliens that came to talk."

It was obvious that General Gideon wanted to object, but he couldn't disobey a direct order from the Highfather. So, he ducked his head and exited the room. Cisco sent a superior look in his direction as he exited and Zatanna blew him a sarcastic kiss.

"So," Highfather started as soon as the General was out of the throne room. "what do we have here? A Kryptonian!" he said with astonishment. "I thought your race was erased after your planet exploded."

Kara took a step forward and nodded respectfully. "Me and my cousin are the only survivors of Krypton. We were sent to Earth right before Krypton exploded."

"Earth?!" Highfather asked in wonder. "So, I guess the rest of you are also Earthlings."

"They are more than just Earth people." Orion spoke. "They are evolved individuals. The woman…"

"Zatanna." Z offered her name.

"Zatanna, is skillful with witchcraft."

"A witch from Earth!" Highfather repeated with astonishment.

"Mon-El is from the former planet Daxam." Orion continued. "And the others are powerful metahumans. The short one can manipulate the energy of the Multiverse and the other two combine to harness nuclear fusion."

"That is brilliant, astonishing, outstanding." Highfather awed. "I didn't know that Earthlings had evolved so much."

"Our gifts might seem incredible." Kara started. "However, they are not enough to defend our home. That's why we're here. To ask you for information."

"And why would we have information to offer you about this threat?"

"Because father," Orion said. "It's Darkseid."

Highfather seemed to pale at the sound of that name. He grabbed his forehead and sighed closing his eyes.

"We don't know anything about him except that he will come to Earth at one point and start a war with the Anti-Monitor. And our planet is caught in the middle."

"If Darkseid is coming to achieve war, then I'm afraid that Earth is doomed."

"That's why we're here. To find out how to stop him. Who he is. Your expression betrays that you know about him."

"We know him." Orion's voice was emotionless. "Darkseid is my real father."

Six sets of gasps echoed in the throne room and then a "What?!". No one was sure who said it. However, it was what each one of them thought. This time it was not Orion who spoke, but Highfather.

"Darkseid is my younger brother, but that wasn't always his name." the Ruler of New Genesis started. "His first name was Prince Uxas and he was the second in line for the throne after me. We lived on a planet name Genesis. It was the most beautiful planet in the Galaxy. One day we met a traveler. He introduced himself as Metron and he gave us an offer. He asked that we let him observe the way we live and in exchange, he would answer us a question about our future. I refused, I didn't want the burden of knowing my future, I thought it was a burden. But Uxas…the temptation was hard for him to resist. Metron told my brother that the Anti-Monitor believed that by killing him, it would lift the curse that was placed upon him and that he would die, along with our entire race. After that, Uxas became obsessed with finding a way to become the strongest person in the universe. I was right after all. Knowledge was a burden. I tried talking some sense into him, tell him that he would meet his destiny on the same path he was taking to avoid it. But, it was like I was talking to a brick wall. We stopped talking after that, he became distant. That was my biggest mistake. Because I was too late when he found the Omega force and claimed it for himself. That much power unleashed destroyed Genesis. Our planet got split in half. And my brother was transformed into a stone-like monster. It took many years to rebuild our home. But my people were hard-working and finally, we were able to recreate what was left of our planet. We named our new home New Genesis, to mark our new beginning. The other half of the old Genesis became a volcanic-like hell. And over the years that came, it took the name Apokolips."

"Seriously?" Cisco blurred suddenly. "That's close enough. We called it Apocalypse all this time. And I'm going to shut up now."

"The relationship between our planets became hostile. For years we were at war and neither side was winning. So Darkseid and I came to a peace treaty. The only one that we knew would keep the peace. We exchanged sons. Orion came to live with me in New Genesis and I send my son, Scott, in Apokolips."

"I was raised as Highfather's real son." Orion spoke again. "They treated me and raised me with love and respect, as one of them. However, Scott didn't have the same treatment. My father has been torturing Scott the entire time. I tried to free him multiple times, but I have been unsuccessful all of them."

"That's why we found your helmet there." Zatanna realized. "You dropped it when you went there to save him."

Orion nodded.

"Unfortunately, that is all we know about Darkseid." Highfather said with sadness. "I'm afraid that we can't be more helpful. We wish you the best of luck. You are going to need it."

"Neither can I come with you. My first priority is to save Scott from Darkseid."

"We understand." Kara said. "Thank you, you were helpful enough." She nodded respectfully. "We should be going back to the rest of our team and regroup."

"Of course." Highfather nodded. "Godspeed, Earthlings."

"I have a good sense of the frequency on this planet." Cisco said as they walked out of the throne room. "I can open a breach to Earth."

Kara smiled pleased. "Then let's go."


	47. The calm after the storm

**Hello Arrowverse fans, I'm really sorry that it took me so long to upload this chapter. I had estimated that it would've been out last week, but it just wouldn't write itself. As always, I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter and I'm impatient to read your thoughts. I thought of taking a break from the action, so this one is a bit of a filler. A very important filler at that. A lot of important things happen. So, I'll leave you to it. Enjoy and comment.**

 **Yours truly, athenaFlashLightning**

Chapter 47

"Thanks for the assist." Dinah shook Batman's hand with respect.

They had moved in the Arrow Bunker half an hour later. Diggle had stayed behind to patrol with the Hawks and Vixen and left for her city.

The Dark Knight shook Black Canary's hand. "It was a pleasure working with you." He said with respect. "I've been following your League's activities. It's impressive what you have accomplished."

"Thank you!"

"I have to say, I had my reservations about you." Rene said. "I didn't think you were real."

Batman's head turned in his direction. "That's the point." He replied with a deep voice.

"No matter." Dinah spoke again. "We're extremely grateful that you responded when Overwatch contacted Oracle. It was interesting working with you."

The stoic expression didn't change on Batman's face. "Indeed."

"Is he incapable of showing any emotion?" Ray whispered to Rene.

"I don't think so." Rene whispered back.

"The way you handled the situation under pressure was far unlike how I would have."

"It was an out-of-the-blue epiphany." Felicity chuckled.

"Yes. And the technology you used to breach yourself and the bombs it's unlike anything I've ever seen."

"Well, Cisco is one of a kind." Felicity bragged.

"Vibe, yes. His powers are remarkable as well."

"I forgot you knew all our identities." Dinah said sternly.

Not surprisingly, Batman's expression remained the same. "You don't have to worry about me revealing your identities."

"That's a relief." Dinah offered a tight smile.

"Well," Felicity brought the attention back on her. "I know that it's up to Flash and Supergirl, but since we worked together on this, perhaps we can make this partnership more permanent."

"Are you offering us to be part of the League?" Nightwing asked surprised.

"Well, the bosses have the final say but…yea."

"We have to decline." Batman said before Nightwing could gush a positive reply. "We work better alone and I would like it if it stayed that way. However, me and my team would be glad to help if you need us."

"Wow! Way to turn us down." Rene snorted.

"My refusal to join your team has nothing to do with your performance." No one could tell the look on Batman's face. "I find it smart, efficient and extremely important. But I can't join. I can, however, lighten the weight you carry."

"What are you talking about?" Felicity asked.

"The 9th Circle case. Now that we made some real progress with your input, I can take over and let you deal with the more pressing stuff. I believe Oracle said that you're dealing with Kryptonian monsters that are capable of destroying entire civilizations and figuring out how to stop a war between God-like creatures that can end our planet and are the reason our earth merged with Earth-1."

"I have to admit, he's really well informed." Ray mumbled.

"How does he know all this?" Rene asked confused.

"I guess we could do with one less thing to worry about." Felicity shrugged.

"I don't know." Dinah hesitated. "Barry and Kara haven't given the okay."

"Well, Barry put you in charge for now." Rene pointed out.

Dinah pushed her lips. "But not to make decisions like this."

"Come on, Dinah. I'm sure Kara and Barry would be fine with this." Felicity urged.

"Yea, I totally agree." Ray nodded surely.

"Say yes, D!" Rene urged.

The Black Canary sighed. "Fine! The case is yours. But if Barry and Kara don't like this I'm throwing you guys under the bus."

"Great!" Batman exclaimed without any emotion. "Then we should be going."

"Before that." Felicity jumped in. "I have to give you something."

"And can I get a picture with you!" Nightwing asked excitedly the Black Canary.

Dinah gave him a weird look but nodded.

"Hey, what's going on?" a new voice said.

Everyone turned around to see Alex walking in the Bunker with an older man as her prisoner.

"Question is what's up with you?" Dinah pointed out.

"Yea, what's up with the prisoner? I thought you guys went on a recon mission?" Felicity demanded.

Alex sighed tiredly. "Long story. We'll tell you all tomorrow, Green Arrow is making the call. I'll just use the portal to lock him up in the pipeline."

"What's wrong with the D.E.O?" Ray asked.

Alex dragged her tied-up father to the portal and synchronized it with the one in Central City. "He's been there before." She told them. "And besides, there's no way he's escaping Cisco's cells."

"Oh, that's a sure thing." Felicity agreed.

Alex saluted them. "See you guys tomorrow."

And then she stepped in the portal and transported on the other side of the country. Nightwing and Batman blinked at the casual display of technology. Neither had seen teleportation. And yet, these people acted as if it happened on a regular basis to them. Well, as a matter of fact, it could, Batman thought. Still thinking about how easy the members of the League made teleportation look, the Dark Knight waited for Felicity to return. When she did, she was holding a package.

"Give this to Oracle. She'll know what it is." She said pushing the package into his hands. "I've written all the instructions in there, how to prepare and how the operation works. It'll be better if you have a personal doctor perform the surgery –this isn't exactly an approved procedure." She made a face. "Oh, and tell her now to give up if it doesn't work immediately. It took me a couple of weeks to get back on my feet and I wasn't paralyzed for as long as she has been."

"This is the chip that can allow Oracle to walk again?" Batman asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Felicity nodded.

There was a long pause. One that Felicity couldn't decipher. It appeared that she had left the Gotham vigilante speechless. After a while of complete silence batman finally spoke. And this time he was very emotional.

"You have no idea what this means to us."

#

The pipeline inside STAR labs was quiet and dark as always. That was until a spark lightened a small portion of the enormous space. The spark got bigger and bigger until a portal opened. In the Cortex, an alarm went off signalizing the opening and inside the time vault, Iris, Samantha, and William watched from Gideon's visualization two speedsters jump out of it.

"Iris." Barry's voice echoed from the speakers. "We're back."

The happiness that blossomed in Iris from hearing Barry's voice almost crushed her chest. A bright smile appeared on her lips and her foot itched to run into his arms. But Iris stilled when another thought hit her.

"Gideon, can you show me the Cortex please?"

"Certainly, Iris West-Allen." The A.I. replied with its usual colorless voice.

Immediately the security footage of the cortex appeared in front of the journalist. Two figures occupied the place, both a version of Barry Allen. Iris sighed mentally with relief that this wasn't Savitar playing them. It wouldn't be the first time and Iris would be damned if she let it happen again. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. Iris felt Samantha right behind her.

"It is safe to go out?" the other woman asked.

Iris eyes both her and William with soft eyes and nodded. "it's safe. Follow me."

Samantha looked warily at Iris –not that she could blame her with everything that happened so fast – and William had an excited and eager gleam in his eyes. Iris sighed and gave them both a tight smile before opening the time vault.

In the Cortex, Barry was waiting patiently while Savitar sported his significant brooding frown with a touch of hatred-for-the-world.

"So…" Barry started awkwardly. "I suppose thanks for the helping hand."

Savitar wavered his mismatched eyes on his counterpart and growled something incomprehensive. Barry took it as an improvement for not insulting him.

"So, what are you gonna do until Cisco comes back to vibe you to Earth-128?"

This time the Flash got a reaction. Savitar glared at him like he was trying to make his head explode with his eyes. "I'm not going there." He spat.

Barry frowned confused. "Why not? Future me said-"

"I don't care what future you say. I never have and I never will." He said with passion. "When Cisco returns he'll find another Earth where he can send me."

"What's wrong with Earth-128?" Barry shouted almost defensively.

That outburst gained him another hateful glare. "That's none of your business."

"Wait! Hold on! I don't understand. We know that your future is there."

"Exactly! And a future with a wife." Savitar shouted. "I don't want a wife and I don't want to talk about it." And at that, he sped off leaving Barry standing lost with his mouth wide open.

Iris, having heard the last part of the conversation cautiously waked to her husband and hugged him.

"What was that about?"

"I've no idea." Barry replied still at lose.

His stillness was interrupted when William started bombarding him with a series of overexcited sentences.

"Oh. MY. GOD! I can't believe you're the Flash. I've been talking to the Flash. I am friends with the Flash. The Flash came to my house –my bedroom."

Barry widened his eyes with a frightened expression on his face. Iris chuckled at him and Samantha caught her son from the shoulders to calm him down.

"Honey, you need to calm down."

Immediately after that William's expression turned 180. "What about Bart? Oh, my God, is Bart okay? Is he hurt? Did he leave? Did-" he was cut off by his mother again.

"Will, breath." She said slowly.

William, widened big eyes and red colored cheeks looked at his mother and breathed slowly from the nose. Then he returned his gaze on Barry, who was wearing the Flash suit with the cowl off and was giving him a sheepish look. William chuckled.

"Sorry." He said shyly. "I just…I never thought that I would ever meet the Flash –even though Oliver is the Green Arrow and everything."

"It's alright, William." Barry told the kid softly. "I'm glad that you and you mom are okay. I'm sorry you got caught in the middle of this."

"Are you kidding!?" the boy exclaimed. "That was super cool. Except for Bart being threatened. Is he alright?"

Barry nodded. "He is fine. He is with his parents in the future. Bart was mine and Iris' grandson and now we got him home."

"Oh!" William looked sad. "I didn't get to say goodbye. I'll miss him, he was my friend."

Barry felt bad that William was sad. So he let go of Iris and kneeled in front of the boy. Then gently, he placed his hands on William's shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

"It's okay, William. You can tell him when you see him in the future." And then he hugged him.

A shy smile appeared on William's face. "Alright, I guess." He said. "Hey, who was that other guy that looked like you?"

Barry's face paled. "That's a very long and complicated story." He said stiffly.

William looked like he was about to ask more, but thankfully Barry's cell rung and saved him. Barry saw that it was Oliver calling him, so he answered it quickly.

"Oliver, hey!" he greeted.

"Hey, Barry." Came from the other side of the line. "Listen, we are on our way back right now and we have a lot to discuss. Can you have everyone meet at the hall tomorrow?"

"What's wrong with STAR labs?" Barry frowned.

"Just…it's better if we meet there."

There was something in the archer's voice, something alarming. So he agreed and then let Oliver fly the helicopter safely.

#

Hot streaming sweat rolled down Oliver's back as he fell back on the bed. Felicity breathed heavily next to him sweating too as a result of their activities.

"I really needed that." She breathed a chuckle.

Oliver smiled to himself and passed his arm behind her head bringing her closer. "I did too. I got so scared. When Lillian Luthor released those monsters I thought I was going to die." He confessed.

"We almost did." Felicity pouted.

"Coming so close to death…it gives you perspective." Oliver sighed.

Felicity frowned and looked up to him. "How so?"

"Well, you know that thing I hate in movies the most."

"You mean, the part where the protagonists are about to get killed and they just randomly kiss instead of running for their lives?" she said, voice filled with sarcasm.

"Yea, that one." Oliver chuckled. "Well, when the Worldkillers started tearing everyone apart my life didn't flash in front of my eyes. My only thought was that I wanted to kiss you one last time."

Moved by his confession, Felicity crawled on Oliver's chest and cupped his face looking adoringly at his handsome face. "You get to kiss me many times."

And then she dipped her head and kissed him softly. "And again." She chuckled pecking his lips again. "And again." Peck. " And again."

Oliver laughed at her. "Alright, I see. I could kiss you for the rest of my life."

Felicity blushed at his words. "You sound so romantic when you say things like that."

"I can be romantic." Oliver said in his defense.

Felicity gave him a knowing look. "At times."

"Well, I want to be romantic with you." He declared. "I want to wake up with you and I want to sleep with you. I want to tell you I love you every day and watch you fail to cook." They both chuckled. "And I want a house and for William to have siblings. And I want you to be my entire world."

"Sounds like you want to marry me." Felicity noted.

"What if I do? I know-" he said quickly before she could speak. "I know that we said that we would wait and see if maybe in the future we could get married like Barry and Iris, but seeing those monsters made me realize that we don't have all the time in the world. And I love you, Felicity. I love you so much. And I want to marry you."

"It's hard to say 'no' to you when you say things like that." A single tear rolled down Felicity's face. "But we're fine as we are right now. And I love you too – so much. But we're not Barry and Iris. We are not meant for some fairytale wedding and we don't need one."

"Why not?" Oliver argued. "And I'm not saying that we need a magical 'Barry and Iris' wedding. All I need is you and me and someone to officiate our wedding."

"Nothing fancy?" she asked amused. "Because you know what happened last time we tried to get married."

Oliver laughed at that. "Nothing big or fancy. I promise."

"We could have John marry us."

"Right!" Oliver's eyes widened with realization. "I completely forgot that he married his brother and Carly. But we have to invite Thea."

"Yea, she'll kill you if you get married and she's not there to witness it." Felicity agreed.

"And your mother."

"Oliver, don't you dare!"

#

Savitar's lair was dark, cold, quiet and lonely. Well…what else is new? Earlier he had run away like a child, he didn't want to face Barry's hopeful eyes, he didn't want to face anyone. Instead, he preferred to stay by himself and talk to the depressing void that surrounded him. All because he didn't want to accept the fact that he had a wife in the future. Well….actually, it was more than that. It was the knowledge that he was happy at all. After all the misery and the hatred that drove him every single day of his existence, being happy or having any sort of regular life seemed alien to him.

"You really are a sore loser, aren't you?" he heard his own voice echo inside the lair almost scaring the crap out of him. "You hate yourself _so_ much that you bring upon you your own misery."

Savitar graced Barry with the same unimpressed face he's been giving him since day one. "Why did you follow me, Barry?"

"Look closer." His double requested.

Savitar narrowed his eyes. He took only a couple of steps closer. And then he saw it. The slightly sinister look on Barry's otherwise angelic face and the darkness fading behind his green innocent eyes. Savitar sucked in a breath as he was sure that he won't be taking another for a while.

"You're not Barry. You're me." He gasped.

His other self smiled. It was sweet and dark at the same time, like a mixture between the person he used to be and who he is now. But there was another reason as to why Savitar confused him for Barry Allen –a more physical one. There, glowing clear as day, a perfectly unscarred cheek was glaring at him. Savitar's eyes widened slightly in confusion –both of them. He gaped at his future self's perfect face. There was no trace of a scar and his right eye had regained its glimmering color. Savitar swallowed hard.

"How are you me? How…?" but he couldn't even pronounce the words.

His future self pierced him with his gaze. "I'm happy." was the only thing he said.

Like this was supposed to mean anything to Savitar. Or as if it could solve anything.

"It took me time and many failed tries, but I finally learned to love myself again and love in general. I finally have a life again, I am me and I'm happy. And you little piece of shit wants to ruin everything for me." He shouted.

Before Savitar knew what was happening, his future self had sped up to him and pushed him against the wall. "I have a wife that I love with my entire being and who loves me just us much. She gave my life meaning and light again and it's because of her that I am happy. And we just had a daughter together. MY daughter!" the anger just burst out of him. "I won't let you take them from me." He whispered this time.

And after centuries, this was the first time that Savitar had been left speechless. His future self caught him by the throat and threw him one last glare before he tossed him to the far end of the lair. The younger version crushed with a loud clatter. Pain exploded on his back. Groaning, Savitar braced himself on his right elbow and glared back at himself.

"You're insane. You just hurt yourself." He spat.

Older Savitar didn't look to be affected by it. On the contrary, he marched on him with a pissed off expression. "You're threatening my family. I'm as insane as I can get." This time Savitar got a fist on his good eye. "Listen to me very carefully." He yanked him by the collar. "You're going to wait until Cisco comes back and then you'll get him to send you on Earth-128. You'll start a life there. You're going to be miserable for a couple of weeks –because it's you- and then you're going to meet your wife. You're going to deny your growing feelings for her –or any feelings at all- because you like making yourself miserable, but in the end you won't be able to handle being away from her so you guys will get together. And blah-blah-blah, fast forward to my day she's going to make you the happiest man alive. She'll give you a family. But only, you'll have to leave the two most important people in your life to go back and kick your past self's ass because he's being an unreasonable asshole and is about to erase them from your life." He growled and then he smiled fake-sweet. "Got it?"

Savitar was not sure that he got everything because his future self was talking way too fast. But his eye was still hurting from the sucker punch, so he just nodded his head. Older Savitar's eyes glowed.

"Great! Since my work here is done, I'm gonna go now. I have to be with my family." He announced proudly and ran off.

What his future version hadn't expected was that Savitar would decide to follow him. His head might have been a little dizzy, but he was very much capable of keeping up with him. Together they run into the Speedforce and traveled in a way that Savitar never had before. If you asked him, he couldn't even describe how he was able to follow his future self's patterns. But he did and the Speedforce spat them out in the future of another Earth.

The first thing he noticed was the unholy bright light and the smell of death. They were at a hospital. Savitar saw the back of his self moving down the hallway, so he followed him. He took a turn and then he walked inside a room. Savitar felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time. He felt nervous. He walked closer and stood behind the door. Gently, he cracked it open a few inches and took a peek inside.

His heart exploded.

And it did the moment he saw himself holding a tiny baby in his arms, rocking it back and forth whispering the same lullaby his mother used to sing to him. The happiness that radiated his entire body was something strange to him. His future self beamed at the tiny little creature in his arms as he spoke to it in hushed voices.

"You can have this." He said a little louder and then turned and looked right at him.

Being caught only made Savitar wanting to bail and run home and lock himself in there. But there was nothing he could do now, so he let the door slide open and took a full view of the room. Now he knew why he had been whispering. His wife was asleep obviously exhausted from the labor.

"This moment, right here." His future self continued. "This and many more. You can have them. But only if you stop being stubborn and tell Cisco to bring you on this Earth."

Savitar couldn't say anything, cast speechless again. His heart was beating fast –even for his speedster body.

"Here," Older Savitar offered him to hold his daughter.

" _What!?_ " he squealed.

The other version of himself made a move to give her to him. "My metahuman alert is vibrating in my pocket and I don't want to wake up my wife. So hold her until I come back."

He didn't give him much of a choice after that. Savitar found himself alone in the hospital room with an asleep woman and a baby in his arms. There were many things hovering inside his mind all at once, but for one thing he was certain. He was starting his life over on Earth-128

#

Wally was exhausted when he walked to the West household late that night. He sighed at the warm atmosphere of the house and threw lazily his keys in the key holder.

"Wally, is that you?" Joe's voice came from the kitchen.

"Yes, it's me, dad." Wally shouted in confirmation and walked in there to greet his father and Cecile.

Joe West wore a relieved expression on his face as soon as he saw his youngest son. Cecile offered him a warm smile and she seemed happy to see him too.

"We saw what happened on the news. Are you alright, Wally?" he asked concerned.

"Yea, everything is cool, but I'm beat, so I'm going to take a shower and head to bed."

"And Bart?" Cecile asked. "Is he alright?"

Wally nodded. "Yea, he's fine." He confirmed. "Barry and Savitar returned him to the future, in his right timeline."

"Savitar?" Joe frowned, his shoulders tensing up.

"It's…" Wally sighed. "a complicated and long story. Better ask Barry." He said finally. "Okay, so I'll just…" he pointed up. "I'll go now."

"Alright, son. Sleep well."

"Thanks." Wally chuckled.

He raced upstairs and took a quick shower before speeding back into his bedroom. Wally turned on the lights and to his surprise he saw a stranger sitting relaxed on his bed. Wally's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. Before the unknown boy could lift his eyes to see him, Wally had pushed him on the floor and his arms behind his back keeping him in a lock-hold that he couldn't escape. And shit, his father would never let him live this one down. If he ever found out.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" he demanded.

Well, as far as interrogations went, Wally's starting question was pretty basic.

"For the record." The other boy choked a laugh. "I can easily get out of this hold. But I won't."

"Really?" Wally narrowed his eyes and unconsciously tightened his grip. "Why's that?"

"It'll make it harder for you to trust me."

"Yes, I do have the tendency not to trust random people who break into my house." Wally replied sarcastically.

"Humor. We'll be fast friends." He chuckled. "I'm Nightwing."

Wally snorted. "Yea, right." He laughed doubtfully. "And I am Mickey Mouse."

"No, but you are Kid Flash."

Wally's heart quickened – even for a speedster – and his grip faltered for a moment. He tried to compose himself and not give this stranger an opening.

"You are out of your mind." He hissed.

"You can trust me." Nightwing said alarmingly. "Okay? I can prove that I'm Nightwing. "My phone. It's in my back pocket. Take it and see the screen photo. The password is: Batman sucks."

Wally feels half like laughing and half like locking him in the pipeline no questions asked. However, he reaches for the phone and he finds it where hypothetical-Nightwing said it was. When he unlocks the screen, though, that's when he blinks. Because it's clearly a selfie of him with his arm around Black Canary, both showing their white teeth at the camera. And yes, the first thought in Wally's head was that he could have doctored the picture, but there were other details that made him think that this was legit. For one, the background was clearly the Arrow Bunker in Star City. And for another, the photograph clearly showed Felicity handing over something to Batman.

"Black Canary is so hot." Dick remarked from underneath him.

Wally looked at the back of Dick's head and back at the photo. He sighed and got off of the vigilante.

"Alright, so I believe that you're Nightwing." He said. "But that doesn't explain why you broke into my bedroom? Or that you have the right to." He pierced a hard look on Dick with folded arms in front of his chest.

The white boy chuckled and shrugged. "I suppose it's not fair that I know your name and you don't know mine." And then he did something that surprised Wally. He took off his mask. "I'm Dick Grayson." He introduced himself with a smile.

Wally was too taken aback to respond. It took him a couple of speedster-minutes to wrap his head around the fact.

"What do you want from me?" this time his voice was less guarded them before.

"I want us to make a team." Dick got right to the point. "I'm tired of being Batman's sidekick. And I don't want to become a mere copy of him. I'm guessing you don't want to be a copy of the Flash too. I want to know what kind of hero Nightwing is. Don't you?"

It had been an inner question for a while now for Wally. What kind of hero was Kid Flash when he stepped out of Barry's shadow. Wally was more than grateful for the Flash training him and the fact that he had taught him so much and taken him under his wing and more so for the fact that Barry believed in him more than anyone. But for a while now, Wally had been wondering that maybe it was time to open his wings and find his own way. The fact that Nighwing had hit so close to home, made the young speedster uneasy.

"Of course I do." He said softly. "So you want us to be partners?"

Dick shrugged. "Why not? We're both sidekicks and I've been following your progress, you can do some very impressive things."

"Boosting my ego won't get me say yes."

"That's not why I said this, I truly mean it. Also, it won't be just us…eventually." Dick laid a few folders on top of Wally's bed and made a nod with his eyes for the other kid to take a look. "I've been looking for others that could be great assets to the team."

Wally carefully collected the folders in his hands and opened the first one. Inside was a picture of a young girl with weird purple hair. Her name was unknown and so were her powers, but Dick had marked her as threat level ten. In the second folder was a picture of another woman, older than the previous one, name unknown but they knew that she was an alien of unknown species and not a metahuman. Her powers were manipulation of some kind of green energy. The last folder was about a boy. Garfield Mark Logan, Wally read his mane. He was a shapeshifter that could turn into any animal.

"So, these are the people you want to join the team?" Wally more stated than asked.

Dick nodded. "For now. So? Are you in?" he asked hopefully.

Wally sighed. He wanted to agree, but something inside him told him that he should talk with Barry first. Deep down he believed that his mentor would urge him to join the team Nightwing wants to create. After all, Barry was the one who created the League in the first place.

"And do you have a name for this team?" he asked instead.

Dick wore a proud expression on his face. "I've been thinking we could call ourselves ' _Titans'_."

Wally made a face. "That's a stupid name."


	48. Regrouping

Chapter 48

The team met as planned at the STAR labs hangar the next day. Cisco was whistling from boredom and Jax was pacing –driving Professor Stein insane.

"Can you please stop doing that, Jefferson?" Stein begged his younger superhero counterpart.

"Sorry, Grey, but no can do." Jax replied waving his hands in the air. "We've been waiting here for ten minutes for Kara and Alex to come with her father, and she's supposed to have super speed. I'm impatient."

"Well, your continues back and forth is not helping with anything except making me dizzy."

"It's okay, Professor Stein. We're here." Kara announced as she flew inside the hangar with Alex and an unknown man.

Heroes and support team gathered around Supergirl, all of them staring weirdly at the new man in the room.

"Are you sure that's your father?" Rene asked suspiciously. "Cause we've seen some really messed up stuff happening."

"Oh, trust me. He is my dad." Alex confirmed while giving a pointed look at Jeremiah.

Jeremiah didn't respond. He kept his mouth shut and his head low –a wise move if you asked Sara. The White Canary's eyes fell on Jeremiah's hands. She smiled pleased when she saw that he was handcuffed. The last thing they needed was for Alex's dad to betray them –again.

"Okay! Since everyone is here...I think we should start." Barry began.

The team nodded (all of them) and Kara came to stand next to Barry. "So, we have three points to talk about." She said.

"Actually, four." Barry added.

Kara nodded. "Four, then. Which should we cover first?"

"How about you guys tell us what happened in Russia?"

Oliver, Sara, and Alex shared a look. "What didn't happen?" Sara said finally.

"We found him." Oliver pointed at Jeremiah. "And he was working on the Worldkillers."

"You worked for Cadmus? Seriously?" Caitlin asked surprised.

"They have kidnapped my wife." He defended himself.

"So you say." Sara replied challengingly. "And then...we got our asses kicked by the Longbow Hunters."

"And that's what happens when villains decide to name themselves." Cisco said sadly, while his face held a horrific expression.

Barry, Kara, and Caitlin chucked at him. "But you guys beat them in the end, right?" Barry asked.

All three of them made a face. "Not exactly." Oliver admitted with a disturbingly high-pitched voice.

"Yea, we forgot the part where Lillian woke up the Worldkillers and they went all terminator and killed everyone before they disappeared."

"You lost them!?" both Kara and Barry gasped with eyes widened and mouths hanging open.

"We were lucky to escape with our lives." Oliver confessed.

"Well, maybe I can find them. If you bring me something connected to them, I can try to vibe where they are." Cisco said sounding positive.

Barry nodded. "Great idea."

"Yes, Barry and I can go up there with one of you and bring something back." Kara agreed.

"I'll go." Oliver offered. "But in the meantime, we could also work on locating Alex's mother. If Cadmus has her then we need to rescue her."

"I can help with that." Zatanna raised her hand. "All I need is something of hers."

"We can go to our house in Midvale." Alex chimed in.

"Go." Barry agreed. "Take Jeremiah with you in case he is useful and Frost to keep an eye on him."

The women nodded and started to leave with Alex holding her father by the arm.

"Well, did you at least manage to get any info before everything went sideways?" Kara asked.

"Actually," Felicity spoke up. "Alex left this at the Bunker." She lifted her hand to show a flash drive.

"What's on it?" Jax asked this time.

It was Oliver that answered the question. "The only information Jeremiah was able to salvage before we got attacked."

"Then let's hope it has some good stuff in there." Felicity mumbled as she plugged in the flash drive.

The next moment the big screen on top showed a Worldkiller's diagram, anatomy, and some other science stuff most of them couldn't even pronounce. Felicity turned and looked at Stein.

"Professor, want to help us read this?"

For Stein, this was like three Hanukkahs in one day. "Quark spheres!" he gushed in astonishment as he walked closer to take a better look.

"Is this what I think it is?" Barry asked; him being the only other person to have a better grasp on this in the room.

"I believe so." Stein nodded in agreement. "It's astonishing! The complexity of the numerous Genetic codes, perfectly aligned in one organism." He continued as he walked closer to the screen. "That achievement is beyond the limits of mad science."

"What is he talking about, Barry?" Oliver asked as he didn't understand a word Professor Stein said.

Barry gulped, looked at the screen one more time and then turned his green eyes on Oliver. "The Worldkillers appear to be created from DNA from many different species." He explained. "I can't even comprehend how they managed to make these many DNAs compatible with each other."

"So, besides confirming further that these Worldkillers are a live and more dangerous Frankenstein experiment, what more does the file tells us?" Cisco asked with a grim expression on his face.

Stein turned around and gave Cisco a bewildered look. The metahuman questioned startled if he should have just kept his mouth shut. "It can tell us everything, Cisco." He told him in a tone that suggested that he shouldn't have wondered that in the first place. "The DNA can show as the nature of what we're dealing with. It can tell us how the Worldkillers function and how their system operates. It can show us what powers they have and what weaknesses so that we can use them against them."

"Can you tell by looking at it right now?" Kara asked next.

"I'm afraid not, dear." Stein looked sad for a moment. "I'll have to compare these data with your own and I'll have to ask your sister for access to all the information the D.E.O. has on other alien species."

"I'm sure J'onn wouldn't mind." She said reassuringly.

"Then we should go right now." Jax said. "The sooner we start the better."

Stein sent a confused look at him. "Are you coming with, Jefferson?"

"Like I'm going to miss that." Jax chuckled. "Besides, you need someone to remind you to take a break and eat every once in a while."

"Fine, I suppose."

"Use the portal at STAR labs." Barry advised.

Kara waited until the duo walked away. Then she sighed and offered a quirked smile to the rest of them. "So, since that issue is on track, shall we discuss what we discovered on New Genesis?"

"I think we should leave that one for last." Barry admitted. "How about you guys? Any progress on the 9th Circle?"

"Well, Ray had a breakthrough." Dinah said proudly.

Ray grinned like a child in the candy store. "Yes, I was able to find all the cities that the 9th Circle is targeting."

"And thanks to him we were barely able to save Star City from going up in a mushroom cloud." Dinah praised further.

"And we met Batman." Rene added. "I didn't find him as great as his reputation."

"That's cause you only met him for five minutes." Felicity scolded.

"It was enough time for me."

"You should be thankful. We couldn't have done it without him and his team."

Kara chuckled at their bickering. "So, where is that list now?" she asked Ray.

The man made a guilty expression and his eyes wondered between Felicity and Dinah. The Black Canary raised her eyebrows at the other woman challenging her. Felicity sighed.

"Batman offered to take over the 9th Circle case so that we can focus on our other problems, like the Worldkillers and Darkseid." She explained. "I thought he was right; we do have a lot to deal with. So I let him have the case. He and his team have been tracking them for years and with the list Ray found they can actually catch these bastards."

"And if they need help I made them promise to contact us." Dinah added. "And for the record, I told them that we should go over this with you and Kara first, but they didn't listen."

"We're not mad." Kara's eyes softened on Dinah.

Barry nodded. "You made the right call. I would have liked to figure this out ourselves, but as you said we have more problems than we can handle."

"So, what were you doing while we were doing our own thing?" Oliver asked the speedster.

"Besides trying to keep a team of evil speedsters from murder my future grandson?" Barry asked bitterly.

His green eyes clouded with sorrow and pain as he remembered that dreadful day. When he saw Thaddeus ready to kill Bart, he felt like he aged thirty years. But more importantly, he missed Bart. That over-active kid that was always cheerful and brought light and happiness into their lives.

"I talked with Captain Singh." He said finally. "He asked me about Killer Frost and how come she works with us now."

"What did you tell him?" Kara asked frowning.

Barry shrugged. "Not much. But I was able to convince him to let her ''do her time'' with us."

"And he agreed? Just like that?" Oliver sounded doubtful.

"He did once I made him realize that she is more useful working with us than behind bars." He explained. "Though, she will have to report at the precinct every week with one of us."

"Well, I don't think that'll be a problem." Cisco mumbled. Taking a better look at his friend he added: "You look troubled. I guess that's not all your Captain talked to you about."

"No, it wasn't." Barry bit his lip. "He said... he said that we should consider having a place where people can reach out to us."

"Like a PR firm?" Felicity frowned.

"I suppose." Barry shrugged once again.

"I guess it would be beneficial for the people." Kara said thoughtfully. "But I suggest we circle back to it when the rest of the team is present."

"I agree with Kara." Oliver added.

"Me too." Dinah nodded.

Cisco grinned thoughtfully and chuckled. "The _'Hall of Justice'_." He waved his hands like he was wielding a wand. "I think this is one of my best names yet."

Everybody chuckled, used to Cisco's being his regular self. Barry looked around him at his friends and colleagues and nodded in appreciation.

"I guess it's to be continued. Now..." his eyes turned playful. "I believe Cisco has been dying to tell us all about the trip to Orion's planet."

Vibe grinned back wildly. "You have no idea."

#

Supergirl flew over Toronto holding Oliver tightly and Barry following on the ground. It had been decided that Kara would transport the Emerald Archer partly because he wasn't feeling up to the Flash carrying him bridal style across America, but mostly because he was doubtful that the speedster could hold him for so long; a fact that Barry had rolled his eyes at and pouted that he was stronger than he looked. Kara narrowed her eyes willing her vision to see further into the distance. Suddenly she frowned.

"Maybe we didn't think this trough. Hey, Barry, how are you planning on crossing the sea?" she asked concerned.

"It's not news that I can run on water, Kara." Barry's distorted voice came from the earpiece.

"This isn't like crossing the Missouri, Barry." Oliver sounded concerned too. "North Pacific is full of wild, 10 feet waves."

"Just watch." Both of them could hear the smirk in Flash's voice.

Barry dug his feet deeper into the hard ground and moved faster feeling the warmth of the Speedforce wrapping around him in a protective blanket. Kara decided to dive lower and keep an eye on him, just in case the Flash was in over his head and drowned in the wild sea. The speedster lifted his eyes on them for a brief moment and then turned his gaze on the horizon. He smirked with confidence and ten seconds later his scarlet boots stepped on the water. And then something profound happened. In front of his friends' eyes, the Flash didn't slow down. He ripped across the sea and the enormous waves parted way for him to pass. Kara and Oliver blinked at what they were seeing –the speedster controlling the fury of the water. It had a very simple scientific explanation, though. Moving over mack ten, the Flash created a sonic bubble around him that pushed the water creating a tunnel for him to run through without changing course or speed.

"Now he is just showing off." Oliver complained.

And although Kara agreed with him she didn't say anything because...well...it was pretty incredible.

It was not long after that Oliver saw the Cadmus secret facility emerge hidden behind the forest.

"That's it. Over there." He shouted pointing at it.

"I'll do an x-ray to see if they're hiding any Kryptonite." Kara suggested.

"Smart." agreed Barry.

Supergirl narrowed her eyes at the tall structure and her vision changed into blue and white. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't see anything inside. Kara almost growled in frustration.

"I can't see through the walls." She complained. "They must have laced the outer walls with led."

"They were prepared for you." Oliver mused.

"I'll do a quick recon inside." Flash suggested.

Supergirl and the Green Arrow watched the orange lightning of the speedster speed up and disappear from their view inside the facility. Kara lowered them and gently landed her and Oliver on the soft snow. Oliver immediately sifted away from the Girl of Steel and his posture stiffened as if ready for a fight to break at any moment. Kara, on the other hand, looked at him with excitement in her crystal blue eyes and a soft smile played on her lips.

"So? How was it flying with me?" she asked him eagerly.

Oliver's expression turned in what Kara had come to recognize as _the I-don't-want-to-admit-anything_ Oliver look. The archer cleared his throat and said instead.

"Your turns are a little sharp."

Kara frowned. She was ready to give him a piece of her mind when Barry's alarmed voice came through the earpiece.

"Hey, guys. It's clear...but you might want to see this."

Without a second of waiting Kara super speeded both of them inside, where they were socked from what they saw.

"That is definitely not how this place was when we got here." Olive mumbled.

His words were the biggest understatement of the century. And of course, both Barry and Kara could agree that the completely empty space they were in wasn't what Oliver, Alex and Sara visited last time.

"It's completely clean." Kara said looking around dumbstruck.

And it was. Completely clean. Freshly moped floors, painted-over white walls and no equipment at all. Like nothing has ever been going on here.

"Someone completely erased that this place was ever a lab." Barry stated the obvious.

"I think I have a pretty good idea who." Oliver said. "Cadmus was funded by the 9th Circle. They must be behind this cover-up."

"And the case was handed over to Batman." Kara sighed.

"Doesn't matter." Oliver injected. "We came here looking for clues for the Worldkillers."

"Kara," Barry spoke up. "See if you can x-ray from the inside. Perhaps they left something behind, covered up, that we can use."

"But it didn't work for outside." Kara frowned.

"That was because they didn't want you to see them coming in. That's why they covered the outside." Barry explained. "It wouldn't matter if you were already inside."

Kara was still thoughtful but nodded agreeing to give it a try.

"The tubes that had the sleeping Worldkillers were there," Oliver pointed at two places. "And there. And in the middle, there was this giant...boiler I think."

Kara nodded again painting a picture inside her head. Then she focused on x-raying the spots where Oliver pointed at. To her surprise, this time it worked. She guessed that Barry had been right. Kara smirked and walked closer to the wall. Then she raised her left hand and shoved it inside, ripping out a piece of a tube. She held it in her hand and turned to the boys.

"You think this will help?"

#

The drive to Midvale was long. It felt even longer to Alex because of how stressed she was. The four of them barely fit in Caitlin's small car, but Alex wanted to keep a constant eye on her father (not that she had the mind to drive) and Zatanna didn't know how to drive at all. Jeremiah tried talking to his daughter more than once on the way but Alex had told him flatly that she didn't want to hear anything he had to say. That gained a few awkward glanced from Caitlin through the mirror in the front. Zatanna, however, was in her own little world; playing with the radio stations and singing loudly – a fact that irritated Caitlin just a bit.

Pulling in front of the Danvers house Alex sighed as old memories hit her, while the girls admired it.

"Is this where you grew up?" Zatanna asked.

"Yep, Kara and I lived here until we left for our studies."

"It's homey." Caitlin said softly. "I think it's time I changed." She continued more seriously.

Zatanna giggled. "You said it like changing personalities is like changing clothes."

"In my case, it might as well be." she mumbled.

Jeremiah looked interested at the younger doctor. The revelation that Caitlin had a double personality that had superpowers sparked his interest. He didn't dare to speak, however, because of the pointed look Alex gave him. Caitlin licked her lips before calling Frost on the surface. The Ice Queen blinked when she took control of the body. She was used to these random releases now, but she was still surprised by the scenery. Her icy eyes looked at the women and her cold expression made an amused face.

"Are we on a field trip?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Who's this old man?"

"He's my father."

"I don't do old men."

The three grimaced in disgust and Alex even voiced her displeasure of what Frost implied. "What are we really doing here?" she demanded. "Because I don't think we drove to an isolated farmhouse for a girly weekend getaway."

"Cadmus has kidnapped Alex's mother."

"And we're here to get a personal item so that Zatanna can use it to track her." Alex added.

"And let me guess. I'm here to keep an eye on him."

"He has betrayed me and Kara before." Alex admitted.

Frost quirked her eyebrows amused. "Then perhaps we can trade your mother for mine." She chuckled. "I'm sure Caitlin wouldn't mind."

"You two really are estranged, ha?" Zatanna observed.

"She's a cold bitch." She said and then chuckled. "Ironic, isn't it? She's the one with a heart of ice, but I have the cold powers."

There was a long pause that no one said anything. Alex was the one who finally broke it.

"We should get inside. The longer we wait, the more in danger my mother is."

She grabbed Jeremiah by the collar of his coat and pushed him out of the door. Frost opened her door too, but Zatanna opened her purse instead.

"One second." She shouted. "I need to apply some lipstick first."

Frost rolled her eyes. "Come on Z, it's not time to do your make-up. It's a rescue party, not beauty competition."

"It's never wrong time to look fabulous." the witch said smartly. "I'm coming, I'm coming."

They followed Alex on the porch. "I wonder if mom still keeps the spare key in the usual place." She mumbled looking around.

"Or..." Zatanna grinned. "Rood kcolnu."

And just like that, the door opened. Frost gave the witch an impressed look, while Zatanna grinned proudly. Jeremiah's eyes widened at the display of power. As a scientist, all his life, he didn't believe magic was real. He studied alien species and some of those had extreme gifts beyond humanities capabilities. And then came metahumans, a phenomenon that he hadn't been able to research because Cadmus kidnapped him. But magic? That was one thing he would never bet his life on. Until this very moment, that is.

"Zatanna and I will find something personal of mom's. You-"

"I'll keep an eye on him; I know."

As the two of them walked further inside the house, Jeremiah curiously observed Frost. The metahuman raised a challenging eyebrow and her right hand started smoking cold as a warning.

"Watch it doc!"

"It's interesting." Jeremiah said thoughtfully. "I've never heard of a case of identity disorder like yours."

"Caity and I are one of a kind."

"I'll say." He mumbled. "You seem to be in good terms with each other. That's unusual."

"If you're trying to get info on our situation, don't bother. You hurt Caitlin, I hurt you. And I'm not talking about a frostbite." She warned coldly.

Jeremiah chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. He could tell that Frost wasn't messing around and he didn't want an angry ice-meta after him. So, he changed the subject.

"You are Thomas Snow's daughter, right? I kept bugging my head in the car why the name sounded so familiar."

Frost had a playful but uninteresting expression on her face."You knew Caitlin's father?"

Jeremiah noticed how Frost didn't acknowledge Thomas as her father but only as Caitlin's. "Only by reputation." He admitted. "I met him twice at a science conference, but we never worked close. I was saddened by his death. I'm sorry."

Frost looked uncomfortable and didn't offer a response.

"Last I heard from him, he was trying to find a cure for ALS, experimenting with cryogenic gene therapy." He paused to look at Frost's expression. "It's curious that his daughter presents a double personality with cryogenic abilities."

Frost fumed at him. "What are you implying Dr. Danvers?"

"ALS is a genetic disease that can be passed down to future generations. Have your parents ever tested Caitlin for the genetic marker of ALS?"

Frost, in her rage, grabbed Jeremiah abruptly and brought him right in front of her cold face. Even from this distance, Jeremiah felt the skin of his face starting to freeze.

"Thomas is dead. Caitlin never had ALS." She growled. "Don't mess around with my family."

The threat was floating loud and clear in the air. Jeremiah gulped starting to fear for his life. Alex and Zatanna came in a rush to find them like this. The air on the room was unnaturally cold and Zatanna didn't need to be a witch to know that it was because of Frost. Alex felt a combination of emotions at the realization that her father had said something to piss Frost off. So, she cleared her throat to get their attention.

"We found mom's wedding ring." She held the wedding band in the air. "She always kept it in a chain around her neck. It must have fallen when Cadmus took her."

"Then Z should do her magic."

"I can use the connection to open a portal to where they have Eliza."

"We should be prepared for a fight." Alex warned them.

Frost smirked and raised her hands in the air displaying the cold smoke they emanated. "Oh, I'm ready, darling."

#

Felicity's heels clicked on the mopped floor of STAR labs. The blond walked at a furious pace that she almost slipped multiple times. She searched for Barry and Cisco in the Cortex, but she found it empty. Not even Caitlin was there as Frost had gone along with Alex and Zatanna to keep an eye on Jeremiah. Felicity thought to look in Cisco's workshop next. If the two best friends weren't in the Cortex, then it was only natural that Cisco was cooking something in his workshop and Barry was keeping him company. Only, that wasn't the case either. In the end, Felicity found them both in the breach room. Cisco was whistling wishfully and Barry, Felicity was pretty sure, was counting the dots on the ceiling.

"There you two are." She gasped with relief. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

Barry perked up at the sound of her voice. "Do you have it ready?" he asked eagerly.

Felicity waved the folder she held in her hand and grinned at her friend. "Everything you asked. Although I'm not sure that it's the right call."

"You mean sending Savitar in his merry way? I agree." Cisco said sarcastically.

Barry pushed his lip, taking his friends' words under consideration and took the folder from Felicity. "Guys...he helped. He saved Bart's life." He said defensively. He read the file and handed it back to her.

"Yea, by ripping the heart out of someone." Cisco shot back.

Barry, loss at words, shrugged and made a whiny sound. "I don't like it either, but that was the deal."

"And consider that I'll be out of your hair forever...if it helps." Savitar's deep voice got everyone's attention.

Felicity's heart thundered inside her chest; that being the first time she came face to face with the murderous time remnant. Cisco, on the other hand, tightened his face and glared hard at him. Savitar smirked pleased with the reaction he got out of them.

"Did you make up your mind?" Barry asked his double softly.

Savitar's mismatched eyes locked on him. Out of the three opposite him, his original self was the only one with softness in his eyes when he looked at him. He licked his lips and lowered his eyes.

"I'm going to Earth-128." He said finally; piercing his eyes on Barry with a hard look.

He remained stoic like this daring all three of them to speak up against him. It was hard to resist the malice he felt for them. Even if his mind was better than the last time he faced them, he still couldn't wash away the sting of their betrayal –even if those versions never existed in this timeline.

But of course, Barry had to speak. "What about not wanting a wife?"

The glare Savitar sent his way was like he was trying to get him struck by lightning again. "I've...reconsidered." He mumbled.

And then the thing that bugged him most of all happened. Barry opened his big mouth and smiled so brightly that it nearly blinded the only good eye Savitar had left.

"That's great, man!" his double said cheerfully.

The time remnant could only growl a low "Whatever!" and then his eyes fell on the folder Felicity was holding. "Is that for me?"

"A complete new identity and all the legal documents you'll need." Felicity confirmed.

"And with an added backstory. Not that you couldn't make up one yourself." Cisco added bitterly.

Savitar smirked at Cisco just to spite him. "Well if everything is in order..." he made a move to take the folder, only for Barry to snatch it out of his hands.

"Before you can have this...I need to know where this Cicada is." Barry demanded in a way that Savitar couldn't tell if he was angry or disappointed. "He brought Eddie back to life and sacrificed so many innocent lives to do so."

Savitar rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You don't have to worry about Cicada. I took care of him."

Barry raised his eyebrows at him. "You _''took care''_ of him?"

"Yea, totally." The time remnant shrugged. "I brought him in, so it only made sense that I cleaned up my mess too."

"So you just killed him!?" Barry shouted upset. "I thought you had started to become better." He accused disappointed.

Savitar's only response was to stare at Barry with an amused expression for several extended minutes until he burst out laughing. "You are so predictable." He laughed and made a point to wipe away the tears that weren't there. "Don't get your panties in a twist Barry; I didn't kill him. I locked him in the pipeline. And as far as I am concerned, you can do whatever you want with him."

Felicity, Cisco, and Barry blinked at him, stunned and surprised. "So you just..." one of them mumbled trying to figure out what just happened.

Savitar smirked playfully. "Relax! I was just messing with you."

"Not funny." Cisco cringed.

Savitar made a face. "To me it was."

"Well," Barry sighed. "I guess this is yours now." He offered the folder to his double.

Savitar snatched it from his grasp like he was afraid that it would disappear. He opened it and quickly speed-read through all his new information. He still made a face after he was finished.

"I'll still change some of that."

"Hey! We didn't have to do anything for you." Cisco shouted offended.

"We're only doing this because Barry asked us." Felicity added.

"I'm very well aware of that." Savitar spat. "I guess it's time for me to make my dramatic exit."

"Great! I had started to think that you'll stay here forever." Cisco said sarcastically.

Savitar didn't respond; just made a face at him. Cisco opened a breach to Earth-128 and waved with his head for Savitar to move. The time remnant walked to the breach, folder tight in hand, and paused at the opening.

"Hey!" Barry's voice caught his attention. "Have a good life over there." He wished him softly.

When Savitar looked into his original self's eyes he knew that Barry meant every word of it. Barry's face held no hatred, no sarcasm, and no sinister look. It left a feeling that made him choke. So he didn't say anything back. He just turned to face the breach that led to his new home and sped inside.

#

Lena Luthor's office glowed with colorful Christmas lights. From outside her balcony, Kara could see the huge Christmas tree sitting in one corner of her friend's office. It stood proud, decorated with many ornaments and glowing lights. No one could argue that Lena wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit. Kara turned her gaze on Sara and asked her with her eyes if she was ready to go inside. The Kryptonian was grateful that Sara had agreed to accompany her to L corp so that they would bring Lena the news of her mother's death. Between Alex reuniting with her abducted parents and Oliver arranging a movie night with William, the White Canary was the only one who had actually witnessed the events of the Cadmus massacre.

"After you, girl." Sara said with courtesy.

Kara knocked once before entering. To their surprise, they found Lena already waiting for them with a slight smirk on her lips.

"I had started to wonder if you were going to stay outside all day." She chuckled humorously. Upon seeing the discomfort in Supergirl's face, her smile flattered. "From the guilty-puppy look on your face, I presume you're not the bearer of good news."

"I'm afraid not, Lena." Supergirl said with a soft voice.

Lena looked thoughtful for a moment. "Was the information I gave you not helpful?"

"No, no, it was very helpful." Supergirl shook her head.

"And we wanted to thank you for that." White Canary added.

"Then what is the problem?" Lena asked again. "Did you not find them?"

The two superheroes exchanged looks, silently deciding who was going to bring the news to the Luthor.

"Is someone going to tell me already?" she demanded.

Sara sighed taking responsibility. "You information was accurate." She told her. "So we send a team of three to evaluate the situation so what we wouldn't go in blind."

Lena nodded understanding the process. She would have done the same thing. Caution was important for everything.

"But something went wrong, didn't it?" she asked catching on.

Both White Canary and Supergirl nodded. "I was there when it happened." Sara told her. "We didn't know that she would do it. Lillian awakened and released the Worldkillers." She paused. "And they tore everyone apart." Lena felt like she was hit with ice once the news settled in. "Your mother was the closest and their first victim."

"The whole Cadmus was killed." Kara added softly. "We thought you should know. And that it would be better if you heard it from us. I know that you didn't have the best relationship with Lillian and that she was far from the best person, but she was still your mother." she continued. "I'm sorry for your loss. We all are."

Lena's expression was blank as if she couldn't comprehend what they were telling her. "Why didn't you stop her from awakening them?" she asked finally.

Sara looked to the floor and then back at her. "We were busy fighting her henchmen –the Longbow Hunters. We barely escaped with our lives, only because the Monsters thought we were dead too. I've seen firsthand what they can do. They are unstoppable. And they are killing machines. We wouldn't be able to stop them even if there were more of us."

Lena nodded quietly. "Thank you for coming over to tell me in person. I need some time alone to process the news, please."

Kara nodded sadly. "Of course."

"We'll leave you." Sara added.

They turned around ready to fly away, but Kara stopped. "If you want my advice; don't stay alone. Call your friends and let them comfort you."

"Thank you, Supergirl." Lena said softly.

They were halfway across National City when Kara finally got a call from Lena asking her if she could come over.

"Do you mind if I let you at the D.E.O and portal yourself to Central City?"

"Go to your friend, Kara." Sara replied kindly. "She needs you."

Next: Winn has a surprise for Kara and Mon-El and William asks Oliver a favor


	49. Merry Christmas

**Merry Christmas everyone! Like I promised yesterday this smaller chapter is up as my gift for all of you. Thank you for reading my story and following the journey I have set the Arrowverse characters in. It's smaller that what you are used to, but this was the best I could do in such a little time. I do hope you enjoy it!**

 **Also, I know that on my note I wrote that Winn had a surprise for Kara, but that was my mistake. I was thinking about the general scene at the time and Kara was in it. I saw it once I had already posted it and because more of you had already read the chapter I got too lazy to correct it. Sorry guys!**

 **That's it from me. Until next time, with a normal-size chapter.**

 **Happy Holidays!**

Chapter 49

It was just before dawn when Winn asked Kara and Mon-El to come over at the D.E.O. The Department of Extranormal Operations had only about a dozen agents left working to moderate the situation. The two aliens passed through looking more sleepy than awake. What had possessed Winn to call them in this hour? They found him in one of the training rooms looking hyper as ever –no wonder the result of more than five cups of coffee. He was chewing on a pen and had a faraway look, still lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear them come.

"Don't you sleep?" Kara groaned as a greeting.

Winn jerked spooked and sighed deeply when he saw that it was only them. "No time to sleep when I have something this great to show you." He told them grinning.

"And couldn't this thing wait until a more suited hour?" Mon-El asked.

Winn sent them a confused look. "Why what time is it?"

Kara and Mon-El gaped at him. He really had been lost in his own world while working on whatever he wanted to show them.

"You know what, it doesn't matter." He said abruptly. "Come over here." He waved his hand while walking away.

The other two exchanged a look and followed suit after their friend. "This better be good." One of them mumbled; not that Winn had the mind to process who.

They stopped in front of a mannequin covered with a white sheet. Winn clapped his hands with excitement and grinned at them and his eyes sparkling with stars.

"Okay, so Cisco and I were hanging out a couple of weeks ago." He started. "And I have no idea what we were talking about –both of us were pretty drunk – but somehow we ended up talking about how we think Kara is able to fly."

"Okay…" Kara nodded.

"So, we grabbed a bottle of vodka and headed at STAR labs to get Caitlin's file on you."

"You're both light heads. I don't understand why you continue on drinking when you clearly can't handle it." Kara scolded disapprovingly.

"Shhh." He hushed them. "We believe that the more we do it, finally our bodies will adapt to it. And-" he added quickly. "The best ideas were created while drunk or high."

"Please tell me that you and Cisco aren't thinking of starting smoking pot?" Kara asked horrified.

Winn waved it away. "Crack actually." He admitted.

Both Kara and Mon-El's eyes bulged. "Winn!" they shouted.

The shorter man snickered. "I'm just messing with you." He laughed. "Your faces."

Kara frowned. "Not funny, Winn."

Winn's laughter quiet down. "Okay, maybe it wasn't as good of a jock as I pictured. But, back on point. We figured-" he paused and made a face. "Caitlin figured." He corrected himself. "That Kara created her own gravitational field and she is somehow able to control it."

"Is that how I'm able to fly?"

"Yes!" he nodded. "So, we got to thinking that two smart people like as will be able to replicate that ability."

"But how?" Mon-El asked.

Winn pointed his finger at him and grinned. "You'll see." He said before uncovering the mannequin.

It had a suit on. It was clearly made for a man; perhaps Superman as the shape looked almost identical. The biggest difference was the color change. Where Superman's suit was blue, this one was red and the cape was blue instead. As a matter of fact, it was the complete opposite. The suit might as well be for Bizarro. The other thing that pointed out the most was the lack of the big House of El symbol on the chest.

"I present you Mon-El's official first suit." Winn announced throwing his hands in the air. "We wanted to have it ready last week, but the tech we put in was not working perfectly."

Mon-El and Kara eyed the suit unblinking. The first had his mouth open like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Wow!" Mon-El finally gasped.

"It's pretty cool right?" Winn grinned wildly. "And check this out." He pointed at the buckle of the belt. "If you press here it generates its own gravitational field to, you know, be able to fly."

"Winn!" both of them gasped.

"You did it!"Kara added excitedly.

Mon-El hugged the man and even spun him around before putting him back on his feet. "I don't know what to say, man. Thank you!"

"It's nothing." Winn shrugged. "Now you can go flying with your girlfriend." He winked at them. "Or catch planes without the Hawks lifting you up."

Mon-El's eyes sparkled. "That'd be great." He chuckled.

Kara clapped and hugged Winn too. She made a mental note to thank Cisco too. "Well, come on try it on." She urged her boyfriend. "Let's take it out for a spin before we go meet the others."

Mon-El didn't need to be told twice. He rushed fast and with a gust of wind he put on his first suit. He stood in front of his friends feeling a little self-conscious. He had never worn a super suit before and he had his doubts about deserving one as he didn't feel he had earned the title of a superhero yet. But Kara smiled brightly at him and it warmed his heart.

"You look really handsome." She told him sincerely.

And the Daxamite vowed at this moment that he would work his ass to win that suit and make Kara proud.

Kara extended her and at him invitingly. "Come on, fly with me."

Mon-El didn't have to think. He grabbed her hand softly and Supergirl and he flew out of the D.E.O just as the sun had started to rise. The two lovers looked adoringly at each other and smiled sweetly as they stood floating in the air surrounded by the best scenery either had ever seen. And at that moment neither was mad at Winn for waking them up in that unholy hour. They had to give it to him. This was the best date by far.

#

The Flash stood in front of the Central City Police Department with Frost by his side frowning displeased. They had brought Cicada with them as a gift to get Frost in their good graces. Neither was delusional as to think that delivering one criminal would make the Captain and the entire police forgive and forget the deeds of Killer Frost, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Are you ready?"

" **They're going to arrest me the minute I step foot in there.** " She snapped.

"They're not going to." Barry tried to reassure her.

Frost rolled her eyes at him. " **Then you are more naïve than I thought.** "

Flash sighed and turned his body to face her. "Look, I know that you have trust issues, but trust me, they won't arrest you. And if they try to," he added quickly when he saw her about to protest. "Then I'm prepared to speed you out of there before they have the chance." Frost appeared to relax upon hearing his words. "Trust me, alright? This needs to happen. It's the first step towards clearing your name."

Frost made a face and pushed her lips, but nodded. " **Fine!** " she groaned.

They caught Cicada by the arms and slowly but steadily walked up the stairs. Once on top, the Flash pushed the police doors open for the three of them to walk inside. Frost had a point earlier about what would've happened once she stepped foot inside the precinct –but not entirely precise.

Once the three metahumans walked in the entire precinct fell silent. The scene could only be described as one to happen only in the movies. Officers, detectives, caught criminals and a delivery man –all turned around and their stares froze piercing on them. Flash looked around him trying to examine the situation. Everyone appeared to be in some sort of trace. No one moved a muscle, no one talked –no one even blinked. And for a moment he wondered if he had stepped into flashtime again; when he moved so fast that everything else was standing still. However, that thought was disregarded when Frost turned normally and frowned a confused look in his direction. Was it really that much of a sock to see them walk in?

"What is going on out there?" Captain Sing rushed out of his office confused too for the lack of unnecessary shouts that usually took place in his precinct. He froze too, though, once his eyes fell on them. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Flash!" he greeted. "Frost!" he said with caution. "We should talk in my office. Everyone get back to your work." He yelled at his officers.

Flash and Frost exchanged a look. The latter gave him a pointed look to remind him of his promise if the Captain decided he preferred her locked in Iron Heights. The speedster nodded and with a sigh, they moved into Captain Singh's office.

Flash closed the door.

And then silence enveloped the place. David moved his eyes from the Flash to Frost, to the other man in the room. The tension was thick and the temperature had started to drop. It only took Barry a couple of seconds that the sudden change in the temperature was Frost's doing.

"Hey! Stop that!" he hissed.

The ice meta shrugged, but the rise of the temperature was noted. " **It's not my fault**." She hissed back. " **He's making me nervous**."

David cleared his throat, collecting himself. He couldn't believe that he let himself be vulnerable in Frost's presence.

"Alright," he started. "To what do I owe this visit?"

As an answer, Frost made a discussed face and shoved Cicada towards him. " **Here. A piece offering.** "

"Hey!" the Flash objected, widening his eyes on her. _Watch what you're doing._ He was warning her.

The Captain eyed the man with interest. "And who is this?"

This time t was Barry who spoke fearing that if he let it up to Frost she would make the situation worse. "He is the man responsible for the deaths of the twelve victims you've discover."

"And how do you know that you got the right person?" David questioned remaining stoic. "Don't get me wrong, Flash, I do acknowledge all the good you do for this city, but I can't just take you on your word without any evidence."

Barry saw Frost roll her eyes and open her mouth no doubt to snarl a snarky remark, so he beat her to it. "We do have evidence."

He produced a plastic bag with a dagger shaped like a lightning bolt. He handed it over to the Captain, who took it carefully and examined it. "Fan of yours?" he asked with raised eyebrow.

A dagger shaped like a lightning bolt and the similar emblem on Flash's chest. It was natural that one would wonder if there was a connection between the two.

"Not really." Flash replied harshly. "If you have your forensics examine it you'll find that it matches the wounds of the victims. And that his fingerprints are all over it"

"Interesting choice for a murder weapon."

Barry shook his head sadly. "Not when it's used for sacrificial rituals."

 _Oh!_

"I see."

"That's all Captain Singh. We should get going."

#

In the outskirts of Central City, in the soon to be names Hall of Justice the gang met along with their families to celebrate Christmas. To the pleasant surprise of most of them, the hall or hangar didn't look at all like the empty, cold, wide space they used for team training. Instead, a warm atmosphere surrounded the place with a lot of furniture and Christmas decorations.

"How were you guys able to do all this is such a short notice?" Quentin Lance asked astonished with the change.

Sitting next to him Joe West shipped at his mug, already half empty of Grandma Esther's eggnog. "Between two speedsters and a Kryptonian, you really need to ask?" he chuckled.

"And I heard that Zatanna performed a little of her magic to make this place a little warmer and festive." Iris chimed in coming up to them with Sara. "More eggnog?"

"We probably shouldn't." Joe made a face.

Grandma Esther's eggnog was so strong it could knock your socks off. Quentin politely refused Iris' offer as he enveloped his daughter in a hug.

"Hi, dad!" Sara kissed him on the cheek.

"Hi, sweetie!" Quentin smiled brightly. "Thanks for inviting your old man over. It was a great idea to spend Christmas with everyone together."

Sara grinned back at him. "Aw! Of course dad, you are my family."

Zatanna was giggling as she watched Kara use her heat vision to cook one turkey after another. Eliza had called her over as soon as she and Mon-El had arrived from God knows where and they were giggling at each other.

"Now, Kara, this will be much faster if you did your thing." She had told her and shoved six uncooked turkeys in front of her.

Samantha had widened her eyes at the sight and William had opened his mouth as he watched the Kryptonian with astonishment and excitement. The two of them had been invited to join the rest of them as they were part of Oliver's family. And as mother and son both knew Barry's secret the others decided that they could be trusted to know theirs too. Besides, Oliver deserved to have his whole family with him this day (and every day). And secrets kept people apart, so the League decided to embrace Samantha and William. Eliza had taken over in the kitchen as Iris and Felicity had been banned from even getting close to it. So, not wanting to feel left out Samantha had offered to give a hand.

"Are we sure we can trust him?" little William asked Oliver nodding towards Jeremiah, who was enjoying a cup of eggnog with Alex.

Oliver sighed and nodded. "He passed a vibe, a mind search and the truth spell Zatanna cast on him." He chuckled as he watched his son's eyes widen.

"Cool!" William grinned. "Hey, dad? Can I ask you something?"

Oliver felt a lump close his throat. This was the first time that William called him dad. Even the Green Arrow could get emotional.

"You can ask me everything you want buddy."

William smiled and rubbed his hands nervously. "I want you to teach me how to use a bow and arrow." he said before he chickened out.

Oliver blinked for several moments until he could wrap his head around what his son had just asked of him. "I don't think your mother would approve." He said softly trying to not upset him.

William rolled his eyes. "Of course she wouldn't." he said as a matter of fact. "But it doesn't matter. I'm the Green Arrow's son. I'm supposed to carry on your legacy."

Oliver had to blink again feeling shell-shocked. "That's not true, William. You get to choose who you're going to become. You have to know that I don't expect you to be just like me." He said honestly. "On the contrary, I don't want this life for you. My life is filled with pain and darkness. I want yours to be filled with light and love."

William tilted his head and frowned. "That's not true dad. You have a great love with Felicity and you have the best family anyone could wish for –that includes the Flash and Supergirl and a bunch of superheroes that as willing to back you up no matter what."

"When did you get so wise?" Oliver chuckled.

"At the same time you started losing yours." He said playfully.

"Hey!" Oliver protested. "Seriously, though, what brought this on?"

William sobered up and frowned. "I saw how easy it was for Bart to get kidnapped by supervillains. I want to be able to do something if I am ever in that position. And you can't deny it." He added when he saw Oliver about to object. "I have already been kidnapped twice."

Oliver sighed letting his kid's words sink in. "You are right. But you are too young to enter this life. So, I'm going to compromise." William whined but Oliver stood his ground. "I'll teach you some self-defense. Just to be able to defend yourself if anything happens. Deal?"

William could tell that this was the best he was going to get, so he sighed in defeat and nodded. "Deal."

"Hey, Barry!" Wally called out. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Barry turned his attention from the conversation he had with Cisco and Caitlin. "Sure." He agreed. "I'll talk to you guys in a minute." He told his friends and got up and guided Wally in a quieter place. "What's up?"

Wally fidgeted with his hands; a habit he blamed Barry for. "So, a few days ago, Nightwing came to talk to me."

"Batman's partner Nightwing?" Barry asked.

Wally nodded affirmatively. "That one."

"Okay." Barry nodded. "I'm listening. What did he want?"

Wally decided to just cut to the chase. "He asked me to join a team he is forming –like the League."

Barry nodded his head and asked. "And what did you say?"

Wally shrugged. "I said that I wanted to talk to you first. But…" he gulped. "For a while now I feel like I don't offer anything in this team. And I'm grateful for you, Barry; you taught me so much. But I feel that I can do more than just be your sidekick –be Kid Flash. The League already has a speedster. That position is filled. But Titans can be my chance to offer more and push myself to my limits. So I want to go. Find out who I am as a hero."

Barry listened to him carefully and like an older brother, he felt proud of Wally for taking that decision. "Every person –every hero, has his own journey. If you think that yours is being part of this team Nightwing is making, then you owe it to yourself to follow it." He said and then set his hand on Wally's shoulder. "I'm really proud of who you have become, Wally. And I agree, it's time for you to open your wings and find the path life has set for you. Have you told Joe and Iris?"

A mortified expression took over Wally's face. "I'm afraid of how badly dad is going to take it."

Barry laughed out loud. "That's true." He agreed. "You have to tell him anyway."

Wally sighed. "I know."

Barry clapped him lightly on the back. "How about now. He seems relaxed after three cups of Grandma Esther's eggnog."

Wally snickered.

"Hey, you!" Dinah called out sitting next to Rene.

The man snapped out of his thoughts and grinned at her. "Hey, D!"

"I know what you're thinking." She told him smartly.

Rene arched an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he challenged.

Dinah smirked and pointed at William and Oliver laughing with each other. Then she nodded at the recently reunited Danvers and lastly at Barry who had a longing look on his face –a clear indication of how much he missed Bart.

"You miss little Zoe." She said softly.

Rene sighed and lowered his head. "Is it that obvious?" he asked.

"It's not something to be ashamed of." She told him. "You know, you can always try and get her back. I'm sure she'd love living with her dad again."

"It's not that easy, D." Rene shook his head. "Last time I tried that, I blew it. And after all this time, I'm not sure I'm father material."

"Hey!" Dinah reached out and caught his hand in hers. "You are the best thing that Zoe could have in her life." She told him sincerely. "Even If you don't think so, Zoe deserves to be with her real dad."

"Even if you were right. No judge would agree to allow me a hearing. Last time I don't show up."

"Last time you were kidnapped." She reminded him.

"They don't know that." He pointed out.

Dinah sighed. Rene had a point. But all of a sudden, her eyes sparkled with an idea.

"You know, if you really want to get your daughter back, I think I know someone who can actually do it."

Rene frowned confused but curious. "Who?"

"That lawyer Felicity hired for her company. Lucy Lane." She explained. "Kara said that she used to work for the military, so you know, she is a tough cookie."

"I don't know, D."

"Trust me. If anyone can help you get your daughter back, it's her." She told him. "Just think about it."

After a while, Rene finally nodded. "Alright, I'll think about it."

"Everyone please gather around." Elisa shouted for everyone to join her at the table that was finally set.

The murmurs died down and everyone was quick to find their seat.

"I didn't know you and Martin celebrated Christmas?" Zatanna asked Felicity. "I thought you were Jewish."

"We celebrate Hanukkah." She told her. "But it's really the good food and company that brings us together." She chuckled

Zatanna giggled. Elisa raised her glass and cleared her throat.

"I want to make a toast." She said gaining everyone's attention. "Alex and Kara and my husband mean the world to me. All I ever wanted for them was to be happy and have a family of their own someday. So after this dreadful kidnapping, I return and find out that my girls are happier than ever and have found amazing friends that have become their family. I could never be more proud of them as I cannot be more grateful to all of you and everything you have done for my daughters. And I truly feel you as my family too. So, to family!" she proposed. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" the rest of them echoed.

And right after Felicity and Stein added. "Happy Hanukkah!"


	50. Of Love and Science

Chapter 50

Friday afternoon.

STAR labs Cortex.

The team was preparing to hear Professor Stein's series of unfortunate news. For the sake of the situation, Martin had prepared a presentation. How much good it would do he didn't know, but he had it on the screens nonetheless. He had already gone over the abilities the Worldkillers possessed. A conversation that didn't put anyone's mind at rest. Stein shared a nervous look with Jeremiah. The man had studied the Kryptonian experiments more than anyone else and he had been silent the entire time. It was more concerning than the Professor would care to admit. If the looks on the team's faces were any indication, no one was taking the news well.

"So let me get this straight." Thank God for Cisco Ramon. "The three monsters we are facing have a combination of super strength, super speed, flight, toxicity, heat blasts, and extreme regenerating capabilities. Did I leave anything out?" he chuckled humorlessly.

"You forgot invulnerability." Caitlin told him.

Cisco made a face at her, but the doctor simply shrugged innocently.

"We are screwed." Sara claimed horrified.

"I'm sorry," Oliver waved his hands. "Can we take it back from the beginning? I lost you at some point."

"Certainly." Stein sighed and turned his eyes on Jeremiah. "Dr. Danvers, perhaps you would like to do the honors this time."

Jeremiah nodded his head before speaking. "After testing, our studies showed that Subject A has the abilities of flight, super strength, super speed, extreme stamina, it has five times more indestructible cells than Kara's-" the audience took in a sharp breath all at once. "and can regenerate from a single atom."

Silence.

"If that's only the first Worldkiller, then we're doomed." Ray observed gulping.

"What he said." Jax agreed.

"Subject B," Jeremiah continued. "has some similar attributes with the first. They share super strength, speed, flight and regenerating capabilities, but it's not impenetrable."

"That's something." Rene remarked.

"Not when it has magic healing." Dinah shut down his grey dreams.

Jeremiah cleared his throat preventing any further conversations. "Instead, this Worldkiller produces toxicity. One scratch from its nails can be fatal." He warned. "And lastly,"

"This can't get any worse." Felicity mumbled.

She really shouldn't have.

Jeremiah gave her a look that said just that. "It can." He promised. "Subject C has flight and regeneration in common with the other two. In addition, it can produce extreme heat blasts from its eyes –two times more powerful than Kara's- and is capable of absorbing extreme amounts of energy." He finished.

After a presentation like this, if it was under different circumstances, there would be a round of applause. Instead, the atmosphere in the Cortex resembled the vibe of a funeral.

"We really are doomed." Zatanna was the first to break the uncomfortable silence speaking with a soft voice.

Barry visibly swallowed. "Did you find any weaknesses?" he dared sound hopeful.

Stein and Jeremiah shared a secret look. "Uh, maybe." Stein said unsurely.

"While I was held hostage by Cadmus, I tested ways to control or destroy the Worldkillers. However, I faced the same problem over and over again. Every time I destroyed each cell, no matter how I did it, the regeneration just grew the cells back."

Someone was playing a joke on them. Please tell them that someone was playing a sick joke on them. A Greek tragedy; that's what it was. Barry felt all the food he had consumed this day threatening to come out. His future self had warned him. He had gone out of his way and took a huge risk to warn him about the Worldkillers and the threat they possessed. He told him that they should act fast before it was too late. And what had they done? They took their sweet time. Well, now it was too late. The Worldkillers were free and God knows when they decide to unleash their wrath upon their world.

"This is like Vandal Savage all over again." He heard Kendra whisper to Carter.

Her words sparked something in him. The hope that had almost died. They would fight this. Until their last breath. As long as they were alive, there was still hope.

"So you're saying that nothing can hurt them?" Kara's voice was small as she asked and Barry found himself back to reality.

"Not necessarily." Stein shook his head. "I took Dr. Danvers' test a little further."

"Meaning?" Oliver asked.

Martin actually smiled. "I wanted to see what happened if I combined the cells of one Worldkiller with another."

Jeremiah frowned but looked impressed. "I never thought of doing that."

"Well, don't keep us waiting." Felicity urged.

Martin chuckled. "The cells died." He said. "And they never grew back."

Silence followed after that revelation.

"So what you're saying is that only a Worldkiller can kill another Worldkiller." Sara spoke loudly to see if she was right.

The discomfort of the Professor's face gave her all the answers she needed.

"Tough luck." Cisco groaned. "We can't go like _'Hey, you three, can you please stand in front of each other and stab one another simultaneously?'_ " he said sarcastically.

"Maybe we can get them to cross paths." Barry suggested thinking back on when he made Captain Cold and Heatwave cross streams making their weapons unstable.

"All three of them?" Kara asked doubtfully. "That's unlikely."

"What if we sent them back to sleep?" Caitlin suggested. "They were comatose before Lillian awakened them. Maybe we can do it again."

"I don't know how possible that is." Jeremiah crushed her idea. "The liquid that kept them sedated was unlike anything I've ever seen and I hadn't even begun to study it." He confessed. "I can't see how we could replicate it."

"And since all evidence that the lab ever existed is gone, we don't have anything to work with." Caitlin finished his thoughts with a sigh.

"Maybe we can contain them. Trap them somewhere." Barry said all of a sudden. "Kara you said that Clark has a collection of weapons from different worlds in the Fortress of Solitude."

Kara nodded. "Yes, he has. From the enemies he has defeated."

"Then perhaps there's something in there strong enough."

"The problem with that theory is that the Worldkillers will only grow stronger." Jeremiah injected. "Even if you trap them in one place, they will eventually escape."

"We have to kill them." Oliver said strongly.

Barry sighed and pressed the bridge of his nose. He was starting to have a headache. "But he said that we can't kill them. Not completely, their regenerating abilities are too strong." He said a little louder than necessary.

In truth, Barry felt a little desperate. He felt like it was his fault. That he should have done a better job. If only, then they wouldn't be in this predicament right now.

"Then we make them accidentally attack each other." Oliver pressed.

Barry sighed. "Oliver, you of all people know that we should have a contingency plan. And tell me, when did our original plans go exactly as we planned them?" he asked.

The answer was never. All of them thought it, but none of them dared to say it out loud. Everyone knew that Barry was right. The chance that all three Worldkillers would get their DNA on each other was crazy. They did need another plan.

"I'll go search the Fortress." Kara said finally. "Tomorrow, though. Miss Grant is on my ass about a deadline."

Chuckles echoed in the room. There was something funny about the thought of Cat Grant yelling at Kara in her traditional way.

"There…might be another solution." Jeremiah said shyly.

All sets of eyes turned on him confused.

"It's far stretched to almost impossible." He admitted. "But I've studied all your powers and it might –might- be our only hope."

"What is?" Kara asked.

Jeremiah licked his lips. "The reason the Worldkillers come back is because they can regenerate from a single atom. But they won't be able to regenerate if they are turned into nothing."

More confusion.

"How do we turn them into nothing?" someone asked.

"If they are hit with the force of a white dwarf star."

"Uh, the what?" Rene squealed.

Barry's, Cisco's, Ray's and Stein's eyes bulged.

"Are you crazy!?" Cisco demanded.

"That force is what destroyed the dinosaurs." Barry added.

"I could level an entire country." Ray continued. "Maybe more."

"But if we accomplish it, it's certain that we'll win." Jeremiah insisted.

"How would we even go about creating the force of a white dwarf star?" Oliver asked.

Kara agreed with him. "Oliver's right. I am strong, but I don't think-"

"Not you, Kara." Jeremiah interrupted her. "You wouldn't be able to do it."

"Then why are we even entertaining this idea?" Sara demanded.

Jeremiah looked around him. "Because Kara maybe can't do it…" and then he turned and locked his eyes on one person. "But Barry can."

Someone sucked in a breath. It could have been him, or it could have been all of them. Kara and Barry looked at each other with concern and confusion.

"Wha-what?" the Kryptonian finally mumbled.

So Jeremiah explained. "If you hit the Worldkiller at the speed of light, then your fist would have the power of infinite mass –the same power of a white dwarf."

"Light speed?" Barry chuckled shaking his head. "I've never gone that fast."

"Yet, Mr. Allen." Stein gave him a knowing look.

"You can do it." Jeremiah promised.

But Barry was shaking his head doubtful. "You don't know that."

"Barry, if anyone can do this," Kara said softly. "I believe that you can."

"I'm with Kara." Oliver said just as softly.

"No, we have to find a different solution." Barry said categorically. "Kara will go to the Fortress and if she doesn't find anything, then I'll think about it."

#

It had been a long day for all of them. But Oliver and Felicity had made a decision and they had to go through with it. Weekend getaway they had called it so none of their friends would get suspicious. Felicity unzipped her suitcase and went to find Oliver.

"All ready." She announced when she found him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

"Ready to become Miss Queen?" Oliver asked her when their lips parted.

Felicity chuckled. "As ready as I'll ever be. You know this spontaneous thing is kind of sexy." She admitted.

"Just don't start sucking faces while in the car with us." Another voice said.

Both Oliver and Felicity turned around and smiled.

"Thea!" Felicity exclaimed happily and hugged the other woman.

Next was Oliver. "Hi, Speedy!" he greeted her. "How has it been?"

Thea shrugged and turned to give Roy a knowing smile. The other archer chuckled and hugged both of them.

"You know us, we go looking for danger." He said.

"What he means," Thea explained. "Is that battling a time demon is more interesting than beating up mobsters in Star City."

Felicity gasped and if Oliver didn't play the tough guy he would have too. "You need to tell me all about it." She demanded.

Thea winked at her. "I will. After the ceremony. Don't you two have to get ready?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "Roy, can you please take my brother away? He's not supposed to see the bride before the wedding."

Oliver was about to protest that this was silly superstition, but Roy beat him by grabbing him. "Done!" was the only thing he said and before Oliver knew what was happening they were out of the rented hotel room and in another one.

"There," Roy pointed to the bed. "Wear your tux and we'll be on our way. John will meet us there."

Oliver nodded and watched as Roy walked out of the room leaving him to change in privacy. Thea, Roy and John were the only people who knew that he and Felicity were getting married. Diggle because he was going to marry them and Thea and Roy would be their witnesses. Oliver had debated if he should have included William and Samantha since Will was his son but then concluded that the more people knew about it the more likely it was for it to get out. And both Felicity and he remembered vividly what happened the last time they tried to get married and neither wanted a repeat of that.

Oliver started taking off his shirt when something felt wrong. And then everything turned black.

When he came to, Oliver found himself tied up. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that whoever had kidnapped him had taken Felicity too.

Felicity was scared. "Oliver!" she gasped.

"Felicity! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked desperately.

"I'm fine! Are you hurt?"

Oliver shook his head. "I'm alright." He promised. "Did you see who took us?"

"No," she answered sadly. "Did you?"

Oliver shook his head again. "I'm going to get us out of here."

A plan was already forming in his head. Oliver applied pressure on his left thumb and waited to hear the sound of it dislocating. It was a child's play for him. After all, he had done it a lot of times in the past. Oliver slowly slid the plastic cuffs out of his hands. Once free he quickly undid the bonds on his feet and rushed to set Felicity free.

The woman fell in his arms as soon as he had undone the bonds on her. She kissed him as if she will never do it again and then parted.

"Let's get out of here." She said strongly.

Oliver nodded, agreeing with her. "Let's find a way out. I can't see anything."

"Me too." She hummed. "Hey, I think that's a door."

In the darkness, her hand had touched something familiar with a doorknob. Oliver reached out and used touch to guide his hands to what Felicity was holding.

"You're right." He twisted the doorknob but as expected it didn't budge. "Do you have anything small and sharp on you?" he asked her.

Felicity reached and grabbed one of her hairpins. "Here!" she handed it to him. "At least whoever kidnapped us had the decency to not ruin my hair."

Oliver would have chuckled, but instead, he concentrated on unlocking the door. It took him more than he liked, due to the fact that he couldn't see properly in the dark. He smiled victoriously when he heard the click. He gave back the hairpin to Felicity and took her hand in his.

"Let's go." he said and opened the door.

What they were confronted with when they stepped out was not something they would consider even in their wildest dreams.

They were in a chapel. And all of their friends were here. They started clapping the moment he and Felicity barged in.

"What the hell is going on?" Felicity demanded out of breath.

It was Thea, who approached them with a devilish look, that answered. "Did you really think that I would let my big brother get hitched and marry without a fabulous ceremony?"

"Really, darling, you were going to get married without your mother?" Donna Smoak cried and hopped to her daughter's side to hug her.

Felicity glared at Thea. _Did you really had to bring her too?,_ she was screaming inside.

"So you kidnapped us!" Oliver demanded.

Thea arched her eyebrows. "It was William's idea."

At the accusing look of his father, William hid sheepishly behind Samantha but still smiled pleased.

"And don't worry guys!" Kara said unexpectedly as she and Barry suddenly appeared next to the couple.

"We've got it handled." Barry continued. "No one is going to ruin your wedding."

Barry and Kara gave each other stubborn nods.

"Now," Thea spoke again. "How about we get you two married?"

#

Winn stood nervous beyond belief outside of Caitlin Snow's apartment. His ass was freezing off but he couldn't convince himself to ring the bell. He remained undecided until he heard Sara's voice from the inside.

"Are you sure you don't want to come for drinks with me and Alex, Caity?"

Winn didn't hear what Caitlin said, but the door opened quickly and startled him. Sara was surprised to see him standing right outside their apartment door.

"Winn!" she greeted him. "What are you doing here?" she didn't hide her surprise.

"Oh, I…" Winn fidgeted awkwardly. "I wanted to ask Caitlin something."

Sara arched an eyebrow. "And you couldn't call her?" she asked suggestively.

"I-i..i-" Winn mumbled.

The assassin chuckled and decided to get him out of his misery. "Well, I'm meeting Alex to talk about potential baby adoptions. You two have fun." She patted him on the back and disappeared whistling.

Winn breathed a deep breath and entered the apartment closing the door behind him.

"Did you forget something, Sara?" Caitlin appeared suddenly in front of him. "Oh, Winn." She blinked.

"Hi!" he waved at her shyly.

Caitlin blinked again before snapping out of it. "Uh, hi. What are you doing here?"

"I came to collect my kiss." He said in an attempt to sound bold.

He regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth. Caitlin's eyes widened and Winn couldn't tell if she was angry or offended.

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

Winn swallowed hard. "Nothing." He waved his hands like a maniac. "Forget –forget I said that. It came out wrong. What I meant to say was…"

But he never said because he kept staring at her and his mouth opened and closed, like a fish, without any sound coming out. Lord, she was beautiful. And so smart. And badass. Ever since Frost had eyed him like a piece of candy he hadn't stopped thinking about her. How had he not seen how amazingly incredible Caitlin was before?

Caitlin had started looking at him concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Will you go out with me?" he blurted out.

Caitlin blinked surprised. Then she blushed and bit her lip. "Um…. I don't think that's a good idea." She said sounding guilty.

Winn felt like she dropped him in the bottom of the ocean.

"I mean, my relationships don't have the best truck." She continued. "My fiancé died three times and then my next boyfriend turned out to be a serial killer and then my last one Killer Frost tried to kill him." She explained. "I don't think I'm date material. Winn I'm sorry."

Winn's heart ached for her. "None of that was your fault, Caitlin. You're not cursed." He tried to reassure her.

"I don't want to risk my bad luck with you, Winn." Her voice cried. "I like you, you're a nice guy and I won't do that to you."

Winn shook his head refusing to accept that and reached out for her hands. "That's not true. Please, Caitlin. One date." He pleaded. "I can't stop thinking about you. Just once, please."

Neither knew what it was. But something inside Caitlin calmed and she found herself nodding.

"Okay," she agreed.

#

"If you think any harder, your head might explode." Barry heard Iris chuckle from behind him.

He had been going over the mathematical possibility of trying the infinite mass punch as Jeremiah had suggested. The math said one thing, but his brain couldn't help but see errors everywhere. Barry rubbed his eyes and got up to hug his wife.

"I'm sorry I've been stuck here." He said apologetically and kissed her softly.

Iris smiled into the kiss and caress his soft hair. "It's alright." She promised. "I know it's important. The Worldkillers must be stopped and you need to consider every possible way to do it."

Barry nodded silently. Iris just knew him so well. She knew what was on his mind –always.

"Which is why I chose now to go to Metropolis and visit Lois for a couple of days." She continued. "With all of this you'll be working late and you'll barely realize that I'm gone."

"I'll always feel it when you're gone." Barry said back corny.

Iris giggled. "You are such a dork."

"I try my best." He smiled back.

"Anyway, Lois called and she's been having a tough time. So, I figured I could go and keep her some company."

"You should." Barry nodded. "Lois is your friend and if you were in her situation I would want someone to be there for you."

Iris smiled adoringly at him and pressed her lips to his. "Babe you're the best." She cheered and kissed him again. "I'll only be gone for a couple of days, so I'll be back soon."

"Take as long as you need." He reassured her. "And if Lois needs to see Clark again you can always ask Cisco to vibe him."

"Vibe who?" Cisco's voice said all of a sudden.

Husband and wife jumped a little caught off guard and turned to look at Cisco.

"Clark," Iris provided him with the answer. "I'm visiting Lois because she's been having a hard time lately."

"And I told her that maybe you can try vibing him again to rest her mind." Barry added.

"Yeah, of course." Cisco agreed quickly shrugging his shoulders. "Anything but try to vibe the Worldkillers. Every time I do that I vibe dark, cold, scary space."

Iris smiled brightly. "Great!" she exclaimed. "I'll tell her that. I'll be heading off now. You two, good luck." He wished them.

"Thank you, babe."

"We are going to need it." Cisco added as Iris walked away and out of sight. Cisco turned around and eyed the board that Barry had been staring at before. "Mmmm, speed equations. Still thinking through Jeremiah's plan?" he asked his best friend with an arched eyebrow.

Barry sighed. "It's giving me a headache." He admitted.

"Look, I know it sounds impossible." Cisco admitted too. "But you've pretty much accomplished everything thrown in your way."

"That's not the only thing that worries me." Barry told him. "Even if I am able to somehow pull this off, how is it going to affect everything else?" Cisco looked at him confused, so he elaborated. "A hit with this much force was the reason the dinosaurs went extinct. If I do this, then how can we calculate how much damage it's going to cause? I mean, what if I do more harm than good?"

Cisco chewed on his lower lip as he heard his friend express his concerns. "I hear you, alright? But what if Kara doesn't find anything to help us contain the Worldkillers? What if using the infinite mass punch is our only option?"

Barry sighed. Cisco was right; he knew that he was. He felt like he was facing a problem of damned if you do, damned if you don't. "I guess we can have it as an option –but only as a last resort."

"Our plan Z."

Their conversation was soon interrupted by the sound of the STAR labs alarm going off. Barry and Cisco exchanged a look.

"Unauthorized breach." Cisco gasped.

Vibe barely saw Barry's eyes fill with lightning before he found himself in the breach room. Barry had dressed them both in their suits and the Flash was staring the open breach ready for a fight.

"Be ready!" he advised.

Cisco nodded and raised his hands preparing himself for an invasion. However, the person who jumped through wasn't any of their guesses. Cisco frowned and lowered his hands. And from next to him, Barry relaxed.

"Gypsy?"

Last time Cisco saw her they had a bittersweet parting. Her father had tried to blow him to pieces, but he had also find out that she still loved him.

"Hey, guys. Sorry if I alarmed you." She said.

Her voice was low and unsure. It lacked all the confidence they knew it held. Barry tried not to show his surprise. Cisco, on the other hand, frowned deeply.

"Is everything okay?" Barry asked.

Gypsy shook her head. "Yes…no-yes…" she sighed unable to decide on an answer.

"You want to talk about it somewhere else?" he offered. "Or is this visit more personal?"

Gypsy shook her head again. "No, I'd…that'd be great."

"Let's go to the Cortex then." Cisco said.

They moved without much thought. Barry stayed by Cisco's side and gave his friend a worried look. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

Cisco swallowed hard but nodded his head. "I'm fine."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Barry kept glancing over at Gypsy and Cisco couldn't even look at her.

"So, what brings you over this side of the Multiverse?" Cisco asked her as soon as they entered the circle room.

"It's about the vibe you had." Gypsy got to the point immediately.

The two friends froze at her words. Cisco because he remembered exactly what he had seen in that vibe and Barry because he knew what it was about.

"We've tried everything on my Earth to see what is going to lead to what you saw, but every time my father and I try to vibe we get nothing. Like this part of the future is locked to us."

Barry folded his hands in front of his chest and frowned. "I don't understand. How can you not vibe?"

"I have no idea." Gypsy shrugged.

She was devastated, they both could see that. Knowing that she was going to get mortally wounded and unsure of if she was going to make it had taken a toll on her.

"My father believes that we can't vibe because we are not supposed to see that future. That we are not supposed to change it."

Her voice shook as she spoke. They realized that she was afraid. They weren't going to let that happen. Something swelled inside Cisco's chest.

"Well, one thing this team is expert at is handing the future its own ass…and then some." Cisco announced.

He was pleased to see that his humor at least brought a small smile on Gypsy's lips.

"I know, which is why I came. I need your help."

"What can we do?" Barry jumped right in.

Gypsy sighed and eyed them both. "I think that maybe your Witch can help. If vibing doesn't work, then perhaps magic will."

"How do you know about Zatanna?" Cisco asked before Barry could.

"I've been keeping an eye on you." She admitted.

Cisco widened his eyes. "You mean you've been spying on me."

"I was concerned, Cisco. What if you needed me to rescue you?"

"Oh, Jeez, that is so considerate." Cisco cheered sarcastically.

Barry smiled and shook his head at them. "Well, I think that Zatanna is still here, so I'll just go get her."

"NO, DON'T!" Cisco shouted. "Just before, I walked in on her and Ray sucking faces. Trust me you don't want to witness that." He said horrified.

Barry frowned. "When did that happen?"

Cisco just raised his hands in surrender and made a weird face. Barry walked to the consoles and asked Zatanna to come to the Cortex through the speakers. The Witch appeared all of a sudden in their company wiping the stained lipstick from her lips.

"You asked for me." She said cheerfully and then she noticed Gypsy. "Oh, hi! And who is this?"

"I'm Gypsy."

"She is from another earth and she needs our help." Barry continued.

Zatanna's eyes widened and she smiled brightly. "Super! I've never met anyone from another earth." She exclaimed. "Wait! Gypsy, as in your ex-girlfriend?"

"How do you know that?!" Cisco demanded.

Zatanna waved her hand and puffed. "Caitlin talks when she's drunk."

"Well," Gypsy spoke gaining their attention. "Cisco had a vibe that I am going to get seriously injured and that my earth is under threat."

Zatanna's expression turned sad. "Ow, that sucks."

"And they can't vibe who is going to attack them." Barry explained. "So, she was hoping that maybe you had a spell or something."

Zatanna looked thoughtful for a moment. "When you said that you were seriously injured, did you mean like near death?" she asked finally.

It was Cisco who nodded. "I couldn't tell if Caitlin would be able to fix her." He admitted.

"Then I can tell you who is going to cause your death. I don't know any spells that will show me the future, but I know one of spilled blood."

Zatanna looked expectedly at the other three waiting for an answer. Gypsy swallowed hard. She had turned white as a ghost.

"Let's do it." She said finally. "I want to know who is destined to kill me."

"Are you sure?" Cisco asked.

She nodded. "Yes!"

"Alright, I am going to need a tray and three candles." Zatanna asked.

Barry was out and back before either of the three could blink. Zatanna smirked at him and placed the items in the right order on the first available surface she found. She put the tray in the middle and placed the candles around it. She stared at them and they magically lightened. Then she turned to Gypsy.

"I need a few drops of your blood in the tray." She requested.

The collector pulled out one of the knives she had on her and raised her hand above the tray. Then she made a little cut on her palm. Four sets of eyes watched as drop by drop fell down on the silver tray.

"That's enough." Zatanna said softly.

Cisco offered Gypsy a tissue to wipe her hand and she accepted it gratefully. Zatanna exchanged positions with Gypsy and closed her eyes. Then she started chanting in that magic language that neither of them could understand. As she spoke Gypsy's blood started moving until it formed two words. Gypsy gasped terrified. Zatanna opened her eyes and read the name.

There, written with her own blood, two words read: _Red Death_

 **If any of you are familiar with the name Red death don't get too excited. I'm not going to follow the DC Metal storyline. I'm doing a combination of the dark universe, the injustice storyline, and the Crime Syndicate.**

 **Also, I don't know when I'm going to upload next because I'm studying for exams and I won't be done until** **February 10th. Oh, and happy Flash day. Our favorite DC shows are starting again.**

 **See you next time!**


	51. Red Death

**I'm alive people! Exams are over and I'm back! I'm so excited, I'm literally buzzing.**

 **I can't wait for you to read this new chapter. I've been really anticipating this one.**

 **So, this is my speech for now, I can't wait to read your comments.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 51

"Who is Red Death?"

Gypsy was barely able to hear Cisco ask with his significant frown under the loud ringing of her own ears. The minute she read the name written in her own blood she had frozen metaphorically and physically and mentally. When was the last time she had breathed? Had she or had she forgotten? The ringing continued in her ears and her eyelids felt wet. Was she crying, sobbing, was it all in her head? She barely heard Cisco ask her the same question again and that's when she snapped out of it –kind of. They were looking at her. All three of them. And by the looks on their faces, she could tell that they knew that she knew who was going to kill her. Why him? That's what didn't fit in her mind. Why he of all people? After all the enemies she had made and all the criminals she had collected, why would someone who had never met her would try to kill her?

Gypsy licked her lips. They were dry and that's only when she noticed that her mouth was dry too. She let her eyes wander from face to face. The kind but unfamiliar face of Zatanna, to the soft gaze of the man that she loved and lastly to the sweet, soft, kind eyes of Barry.

"He's your doppelganger." She told him looking and not tearing her eyes from him.

She didn't dare to look at Cisco. She didn't know if she could handle the look on his face. Barry frowned, a deep wrinkle forming between his eyebrows. He looked so harmless, so pure. Like a puppy that was still learning how to walk.

"My doppelganger?" he asked.

Cynthia nodded. "Yes."

"Named _Red Death_?"

Another nod.

"He sounds like a serial killer." Cisco retorted undecided of if he wanted to sound sarcastic or horrified.

"He is not a serial killer. Though, they call him that because wherever he goes there's nothing left of his victims but their blood painted all around."

Now Cisco did look horrified. And so did Barry and Zatanna. Well, scratch that, Zatanna looked horrified, Barry looked sick to his stomach like he was going to puke right in front of them.

"Great!" he mumbled. "First Savitar, now Red Death. Are there more evil me's out there?" However, he couldn't decipher the look Gypsy threw at him, so he continued. "How do you know about him?" Now that was a better question.

Gypsy took a deep breath partly to stall and partly to steady the tremor in her voice. "Everyone on my Earth knows the story of the Dark Earth."

" _Dark Earth?_ " Cisco squealed with an arched eyebrow. "Sounds fun." Cynthia gave him a pointed look. "Right, I'll stop talking now. Please continue."

"On Earth-19 everyone learns about the Dark Earth to remind us not to make the same mistakes as the people there." She sighed again. "Dark Earth used to have a number in the Multiverse. It was sunny and in many ways a lot like Earth-1."

"So what happened?" Zatanna asked.

"That Earth had a team of protectors, just like you, they were called the Justice League."

"Corny." Cisco chimed in before he could stop himself.

When he realized what he did, his eyes widened and rose his hands up in surrender hoping that Gypsy wouldn't murder him for interrupting her.

"There were many members throughout the years, but seven were the big guns, the founders." She continued. "Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash."

She saw their eyes freeze on her, the pupils dilating with interest to the news. She was waiting for that reaction. She saw Barry's lips part ready to ask her questions. And she saw the way Cisco's shoulders relaxed before they tensed again. And she also saw Zatanna's eyes fall on Barry, piercing and longing and searching. Gypsy tried not to lose her composure. She had seen that look before; the one Zatanna had right now. She had seen it in the eyes of the young Collectors that started for the first time and were unsure of themselves and looked at their leader for comfort, guidance, reassurance. She hadn't realized the depth of the situation with the League. Her visions were mostly focused on Cisco, so she knew that the heroes had join forces for good. But she hadn't envisioned the hierarchy of the team or who was more in charge than others. And she certainly hadn't foreseen the bond the members had with their leader. The young Witch she had met minutes ago was charming, flirty and sure of herself. Now she looked small and unsure, seeking strength from the Flash. Cynthia was taken aback –that was an understatement. Sure, Barry was the awkward leader of team Flash, but she always wondered how the team was even functioning, even despite their track record of winning against all odds. Back then, she had assumed that it was due to Barry's unwillingness to back down. But surely, now, she had thought that a team up as big as the League would have someone more qualified to pull the strings. Someone like Oliver Queen or someone like him – someone with strategic qualities. As Gypsy narrowed her eyes slightly in thought, she was hit with a realization. The team didn't need someone to push them around and command instructions left and right. They needed someone who believed in them and inspired them with hope. Someone who made them believe in themselves and gave them strength. A fade smile formed on her lips at the realization. This was so much different from the way they handled things on her Earth, but at the same time only they could accomplish something like that.

"So what happened?" Barry asked pulling her out of her thoughts. "What happened that turned my doppelganger into a serial killer?"

Gypsy's eyes hardened. "He was betrayed." She said flatly. "Their villains figured out that they couldn't defeat the heroes of their Earth alone, so they formed a team of their own. They called themselves '' _The Legion of Doom''_."

"Sick name." Cisco snickered. "Awful team up, but cool name."

Cynthia decided to not engage in a response to Cisco's remark. He was never going to change, so she let his comment pass. "The Legion of Doom wanted to make a crack in the bond of the Justice League and that meant taking one of the big seven out of the picture, fracturing their strength."

"And let me guess, that was Barry." Zatanna chimed in.

Gypsy nodded. "The Flash was the kindest and most honest of them all, he did the right thing even for his villains. Like you," she waved at Barry. "he had a pure heart. So they set him up."

"Of course they did." Cisco sighed rolling his eyes.

"They framed him for the murder of Clifford DeVoe. No one believed that the Flash was capable of murder, but the evidence all pointed at him and a trial needed to happen." Gypsy took a breath before she continued with her story.

It was at this moment that Ray walked in wondering why Zatanna was taking so long to come back. He took notice of the serious expressions on his teammates' faces and sat quietly not wanting to interrupt.

Gypsy continued. "There was only one way to find out the truth if the Flash was guilty or not. Wonder Woman's lasso of truth compelled everyone to tell the truth when it was wrapped around them. So the Justice League attended the trial and used it to prove his innocence."

"But something went wrong?" Barry questioned, almost sure of the answer.

Gypsy nodded again and her sad eyes watched as more people walked in the Cortex. It was Oliver, Felicity, and Caitlin.

"The Legion of Doom knew that they were going to use the lasso so the night before the trial three of their dark magic users cast a spell on Barry. It made him say the opposite of what he was thinking and unaware of him doing so. The spell was so powerful that it surpassed the magic of Wonder Woman's lasso of truth. So when the judge asked him if he killed Clifford DeVoe, the Flash admitted falsely that he did and he was sent to prison for the rest of his life."

Cynthia was waiting for the gasps from the people around her. Even the one that came from Kara, who just walked in holding something in her hand and had heard Cynthia speak with her super hearing.

"After that, the Flash's identity got revealed to the public, he had his powers stripped down by a meta-power dampening collar and was thrown in a maximum security prison with every single criminal the Justice League had ever caught."

"What were they thinking?" Oliver demanded. "Didn't they know what would happen when they threw a hero in the lion's den?"

Gypsy shrugged. "They didn't care. A lot of them thought that he deserved what was going to happen to him. "

"No one deserves that." Kara scoffed frowning.

Gypsy shrugged again. That was what had happened. "After the Flash's arrest, the Justice League was faced with distrust and riots against them. The people started questioned them, distrusted then and even demanded they stepped down. Wanting to appeal in the public's eyes the Justice League decided that there was only one thing they could do. So they held a press conference where Superman threw the Flash under the bus. No one took his side; everyone cut him off and even his wife divorced him. Only one person stayed loyal to him. His best friend, Vibe. Cisco left to gather evidence of Barry's innocence – and he did. He came back eight years later with all the proof. The Flash was released from prison and everyone felt guilty for what they had done and the Justice League tried to apologize and make everything go away like it never happened. But it was too late. Those eight years in hell had changed Barry. He was beaten, assaulted, raped, molested and basically anything bad you can think off happened to him every single day for the eight years he spend there. And the guards laughed when they saw it happen and turned the other way."

Gypsy couldn't look Barry in the eyes anymore. She couldn't look at anyone. They were silent, but she could picture the devastated looks they all had.

"In his rage, he attacked the Justice League and mortally wounded them all. He would've killed them if his own wounds didn't force him to retreat. As he left, he vowed that he would come back and seek revenge from those who wronged him. With his best friend, Vibe, he started a team of him own, the Regime. The first member they approached was Killer Frost. Caitlin had just lost her husband, Ronnie, in a failed Justice League mission that had him without back up. Filled with grief and rage she embraced her Killer Frost. So she was more than willing to join when they offered her a chance at revenge. Wanting to sooth her pain, Barry found another Ronnie Raymond in the Multiverse who was alone, hoping that they would bond and take each other's pain. Others followed after the two of them. White Canary, the Hawks and even the Rogues joined the Regime. And then, one day, a pod fell in the desert with a very young Kara Zor-El."

Kara gasped quietly at the information.

"Her cousin, Superman, didn't find her. But Barry did. He recognized the symbol on her clothes and immediately knew who she was. But he also knew that she was an innocent person and wasn't stained by her cousin's sins. So he took her in and explained what had happened with her cousin. Kara was disgusted by Kal-El's actions and told Barry that he had disgraced her family's name and honor, so she decided to stay with the Regime. Kara was only thirteen years old and Barry well in his thirties, so he raised her and she became his daughter."

"Daughter?!" Kara gasped in disbelieve and her eyes turned to look at Barry.

He was already looking at her, his expression mirroring hers. "That's weird."

"Yes." She agreed.

Neither could picture them having a father-daughter relationship.

"It's not really." Gypsy disagreed. "Unlike you guys, their age difference was big. Kara was just a teenager in need for a family and Barry was an adult near forty that had lost his."

"Well, if you put it that way…"

"I guess it makes sense." Barry added.

"When the Regime returned to battle the Justice League, it was a blood bath. Kara murdered Superman after she told him how disappointed she was in him. The rest of the JL had similar fates. Every member but Batman was killed. He managed to escape and hide with other less known vigilantes. That day was the day everyone started calling the Flash the Red Death and Kara took the name Powergirl instead of Supergirl because it reminded her of her cousin. She was also known by another name. The Red Daughter."

"Because she was the Daughter of the Red Death." Caitlin figured.

Cynthia nodded in confirmation. "Yes."

"So, that's the story?" Cisco asked.

"No. After the Justice League massacre, Red Death sought revenge from the last person that betrayed him. His ex-wife. He found her in a church while she was getting married to Eddie Thawne and killed her in cold blood in front of everyone by ripping her heart out." She gave an apology look at Barry. "Aftewards, he moved on to create a new order over the world. He banned all criminal activity, but also hunted heroes and vigilantes. His Regime responded to every crime committed and the accomplices were punished very harshly. After a while, crime was significantly down to non-existent. He continued hunting for Batman. He sent his best assassins to track vigilantes and offered them a deal to either join the Regime or die. The last vigilantes he visited personally. He had Intel that the Green Arrow and Black Canary were hiding Batman, so he paid them a visit one night. Oliver and Laurel had just put their two months old son to sleep when he appeared in front of them holding the baby in his arms. Even as a blood thirsty killer, Barry never harmed children or innocent people. He asked them were Batman was, to which they told him that they had no idea. So he offered them the same thing he did to everyone else. He would take Connor to be raised by him or the Regime. He had heard that Killer Frost and Deathstorm wanted to adopt for a while now. Either Oliver and Laurel joined him or he would kill them and their son would be raised by them. Not wanting to leave their son alone, they agreed to join the Regime under false pretences. Batman had warned them and they both knew that it was only a matter of time before Red Death paid them a visit. They had made a plan that when that happened they would agree to join and then help Batman take the Regime down from the inside."

"I'm guessing that didn't go according to plan." Oliver said.

"It didn't." she confirmed. "A few months later they realized that the Regime was not an evil organization and that their way was actually more effective to keep the peace in the world, so they joined in for real this time. And everything has been like that ever since."

"That's it?" Kara asked a little surprised.

"How do you know so many details?" Caitlin asked.

"Everyone on Earth-19 learn in a young age about Dark Earth as a lesson and as a warning. So that we know that we can never go there. The Regime has banned dimensional travel. No one is allowed to go or leave Dark Earth. And if you choose to go, then you never return."

"I don't understand how that has anything to do with what is going to happen to your Earth or why Red Death wants to kill you?" Barry questioned out loud.

"I know." Gypsy gasped. "It doesn't make sense. I've never been to Dark Earth or plan on going and I've never met the Red Death. So why is he the one who's going to kill me?"

"There must be a connection." Oliver said confident.

"But what?" Felicity added.

"I think that we all need a minute to process what we just learned." Barry said quietly.

He knew that he did and from how badly Cynthia was trying to hold it together he knew that she needed a minute too. Quiet murmurs agreed with him. One by one the team left the Cortex to find a hiding place to process their thoughts. Gypsy left to Cisco's workshop and left Cisco alone with Barry in the Cortex. Looking at his friend's face, Barry knew that Cisco was devastated. So he walked to him and sat next to his friend resting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking?" he asked quietly.

Cisco was silent for a moment and for a second Barry started to think that he wasn't going to get an answer. But then Cisco spoke with a broken voice.

"I don't want to lose her."

#

 _40 minutes ago_

Kara had been staring at her computer screen for the last twenty five minutes. She had a Word document open and looked unblinking at the blinking cursor on the blank page. She had only managed to write the title of her article "Aliens of National City" but, for the love of Rao, she couldn't concentrate on writing anything else. Her mind kept spacing and it had started getting on her nerves. Kara played with a loose lock of her golden hair, twisting it around her finder. Her blue eyes narrowed behind the led glasses she always wore when she was not Supergirl. The cursor kept blinking at the steady rhythm it always did and Kara screamed inside her head to at least begin typing the first sentence.

"KIERA!"

Kara jerked abruptly at the loud yell of her boss. Startled, she looked up and with wide eyes, she saw Cat Grant glaring down at her unmistakably pissed off. It was at this moment that Kara realized that her boss had been probably calling her for a while and she was too spaced out to hear her loud voice. Kara cringed ready to get hit with whatever lecture Cat was going to unleash upon her.

Cat set her hands on her hips and her expression turned into a sneer. "Kiera, if you are unable to do your job, then leave and go and be more productive elsewhere."

Kara tried really hard to not let her jaw fall to the ground. "But Mrs. Grant, I haven't finished my article yet."

All Cat did was scoff. "Finish? You haven't even started, dear." She said ironically. But then her eyes gleamed with something that resembled kindness –a spark that Kara had only witnessed only a handful of times. "Let me give you some advice, Kiera. When a young, talented reporter –myself included- hits a wall regarding inspiration, then said reporter should take a step back, get occupied with something else and when your head is clear then the inspiration will come on its own." She said wisely. "Now, chop-chop, get out of here and don't come back until you have the article ready." Cat gave her one last look before heading to her office.

Kara needed a minute to pick up her jaw, but when she returned to herself she collected her things quickly and took Cat's advice. She knew that her mind wouldn't rest until she visited her cousin's Fortress. So that was what she was planning on doing.

Kara took the elevator to the roof and once outside, she tore her shirt and flew up, up, in the sky, her red cape breezing behind her. It felt good to fly. She had confessed that to Barry when they were both stuck inside a musical, curtsey of Music Meister. For Kara, flying was the cure to everything. It calmed her, it made her feel safe and in control. Her mind stopped racing when she flew and somehow she could also work out all her problems. It was a miracle she enjoyed more than anything. So it was no surprise when she arrived at the tall structure in the Arctic without realizing she had flown for so long. She was literally lost in her thoughts. Kara felt the thick snow crunch underneath her red boots. The icy wind moved her blonde hair playfully, but did nothing to affect her porcelain skin. The Kryptonian debated her next move for a few seconds. Last time she had visited the Fortress of Solitude things hadn't gone well; that with the Fortress threatening to destroy itself if she kept asking questions about the Worldkillers. But alas, Kara decided to ignore the uneasy feeling in her stomach and go in, despite her mind's red alarms to flee the way she came.

And just like the previous times, a sense of longing burst out of her heart as she walked inside. Her steps echoed in the tall, enormous structure. It saddened Kara deeply to think that this was the last piece of Krypton left in the galaxy. But then again, she and Kal-El are the only remaining Kryptonians, so she guesses this Fortress is enough.

"Kara Zor-El, you've returned." Speak of the devil the Fortress acknowledged her presence.

Kara faced high at the two tall sculptures and her face became stoic. "Don't worry, Jor-El, I'm not here to ask questions you don't want to answer."

The silence that followed lasted long enough to make Kara paranoid and nervous. "Very well." Jor-El's voice finally said.

Kara let out a breath she didn't realized she was holding. "I'll just….look around." She waved her hands around awkwardly.

When the Fortress didn't bother replying, Kara mumbled a quiet "okay" to herself and spun around starting taking in the different objects her cousin had collected over the years. Kara felt a small smile rise on her face as she took in everything. She could never be more proud of her baby cousin. Despite her failure in raising him, Kal-El had grown in an amazing man, one that her dead family would also be super proud of. He had honored the house of El more than anyone she could think of.

Kara felt also a bit of sadness. Or more accurately, a pang of disappointment. In herself. Those five times she had visited the Fortress, she never took the time to look around at the treasures and weapons Kal-El had gathered and stashed in here. Kara bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling or frowning. If either of her enemies had the brilliant idea to break into the Fortress and actually take some of those weapons to use against her, then her battles would've turned up very differently. Kara was glad her villains weren't so bright in the brain. Her hand wandered around. Sometimes she even let her fingers feathery touch some of the objects. She had a permanent grin on her face, when she saw something from the corner of her eyes. Kara's face got serious and turned her head to lock her eyes on the object. Placed upon a tall, but thin ice-pedestal were two interlocked rings. Kara stood there frozen and stared at the weapon that to regular people appeared to be bracelets. Suddenly, an idea came to her. She smiled again and snatched the rings before exiting the Fortress and flying away. The League needed to hear her idea and see this.

#

"I understand how you're feeling." Barry said softly.

Cisco looked up to him from having lowered his head. "Now I get what you must've felt when you saw Iris get murdered by Savitar." He said hoarsely.

He didn't miss the sharp breath Barry took at the reminder of the particular painful memory.

"Yea…" his voice mirrored Cisco's now.

"I just," Cisco shrugged. "I don't know how you dealt with it." He admitted looking at his friend again. "I mean, I know about Gypsy and I want to die. But you held it together. I don't think I'm as strong as you."

Hearing him talk like this, Barry felt bad for Cisco.

"Cisco, listen to me." he placed his hand on his friend shoulder, making Cisco look at him. "I was not in a better position than you are right now." He admitted. "The only reason I was able to get it together was because I had you and Caitlin and HR and surprisingly Julian in my corner. All of you were my strength. And now, I and all those people in this building are going to be in your corner and be the support you need." He told him sincerely.

Barry's green eyes sparkled with honestly and raw emotion and in combination with the way he spoke made Cisco tear up. The long haired man bit his lip and wrapped his arms around the speedster holding him tight in a bone crushing hug.

"You are my best friend, you know that?"

"You are mine too."

"And Caitlin."

"And Caitlin." Barry chuckled and let go of the shorter man. "Now, what do you need us to do?"

Cisco wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. "I want to save the woman I love." He said with conviction. "And if the means battling a war that is not ours, then so be it. But I also know that it's not fair to ask the team to follow me to Earth-19. This is one more battle they haven't signed up for. I won't make them help if they don't want to."

"Then it's a good thing that we're not saying no." Oliver's voice startled them. "Sorry, Kara has been listening in with her super hearing and told us what you guys were talking about."

Cisco sent a betrayed look at the Kryptonian. In return, Kara shrugged and smiled shyly.

"Sorry… But Oliver is right. This might not be a fight we asked for, but it's important to you. And being our friend we have your back one hundred percent." She smiled cheekily. "And besides, I'm looking forward to meeting my doppelganger."

"And kicking their asses." Oliver added.

They all shared a look and then laughed. "Okay, Oliver."

"So, we're really doing this?" Cisco asked one more time.

Barry nodded. "Why don't you go spread the good news to Gypsy and then we'll discuss our first move."

He didn't have to tell Cisco twice. He immediately bolted out of the Cortex.

#

Lyla Diggle (or Michaels, as was her A.R.G.U.S name) felt extremely nervous. All her alarms were firing inside her head and her spider senses were tinkling. She sat composed at the oval-shaped table and examined the men opposite her. She hated all of them, but most of all she despised General Wade Eiling. He was a disgusting pig, shady to his bones and full with arrogance that couldn't measure up to his non-existent intelligence. Officially, General Eiling was discharged from his position in the army, but after a little digging she had done, she found that he has been secretly working on off-the-book projects for the old President of the United States. Seeing him here, she could only assume that his services are continuing to the new President now.

The man sitting next to Eiling was General Samuel Lane, Lois and Lucy's father. In Lyla's opinion, Lane was just a notch less disgusting than Eiling. She wondered what the new President needed to discuss with the three of them. The army and A.R.G.U.S was here, but suspiciously the D.E.O. wasn't. Lyla would wait to see the subject of discussion and then she needed to pay a visit to J'onn J'onzz.

Brent Spiner walked inside the conference room followed by five bodyguards. He was wearing a navy blue suit and a beanie on his head, that he immediately removed letting his white hair show. Spiner took a seat at the head of the table and interlocked his fingers.

"Agent Michaels, Generals." He greeted. "Excuse me for keeping you waiting."

"We understand. Presidency is more demanding than imaginable." Lyla's voice was stoic as she spoke and so was her expression. She didn't want to betray anything to these vultures and she also had a reputation to uphold.

Spiner nodded his head, appreciating her comment. However, it seemed that it wasn't as welcomed by the other men. General Lane sighed significantly loud and made a point of folding his arms in front of his chest.

"I say we cut the BS and get right to the point of this meeting." He locked his eyes on the President. "What do you want from us?!" he demanded.

If she had acted so boldly against the President, she would have lost her job and she would've been so disgraced that she wouldn't be able to find a proper job for the next decade to twenty years. However, Lane being a man, he didn't have to worry about being impolite or a brute.

The President smirked at Lane. "I just asked the heads of the best defending departments this country has, to discuss methods of improving of defenses."

Before Lyla could speak, Lane had taken the speech from her. "You want reports? I'll give you reports. I don't know what Eiling is doing in his hiding days," he chuckled at the other man. "but the army has made real progress. Our experts have developed new advanced weapons-"

"Yeah, I don't really care about that." Spiner cut him off. "To be honest, I couldn't care less about the progress you've made in advancing army weapons."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking," Lyla asked politely. "Why isn't J'onn J'onzz from the D.E.O included in this meeting?"

Spiner stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. The two generals followed his example. Lyla frowned at the rude display in front of her.

"That alien?" Spiner gasped when he stopped laughing. "Why would I include his green ass in this? He's not suited to be here. He's not even suited to run the D.E.O. That is something I plan on correcting in my presidency."

Lyla nodded stoically. "I see." She said.

"Anyway, I don't care about anything you have to tell me." Spiner waved his hand. "Weapons can malfunction and can be entirely useless against real threats. Now, we all know what the real weapon is, or rather who?" he finished looking knowingly at the three of them.

Lyla held of gulping. She had a sickening feeling of what the President was implying. Scratch that, she was sure, the only thing she waited was the confirmation that she had assumed right.

"The League."

It took every ounce of will power to not close her eyes. The feeling from before settled in her stomach and build a fortress. She's had this discussion with her husband when the League first started. It was a long shot but not impossible for someone superior than her to order them to take place against the superheroes. It had been why John wasn't an active member of the League and only helped team Arrow with protecting Star City. Lyla hadn't wanted to be against her husband one day. But as it turned out she was in this position anyway. It didn't matter if her husband wasn't part of it. Lyla knew the League. She knew every person as a civilian and as a self sacrificing hero. It pained her that she found herself in the middle. A year and a half ago, she wouldn't know if she could refuse the order or go with it. Now her vision was clear. After knowing what every person had done for this planet, it was not difficult to know where she stood.

"They are the real power." Spiner continued. "Nothing can stop then or stand in their way. If we can harness this powers, if we manage to control them, then we become unbeatable."

"Are you suggesting we capture the League and blackmail them or physically force them to obey us?" Eiling asked.

"Yes!" Spiner gasped. "They are the only weapon I'm interested in. And I don't care how you do it. Blackmail them, plant bombs in their heads… I. Don't. Care. Make it happen. Scout out their cities and make it happen. If they don't cooperate willingly, them force them and if you can't force them then get rid of them. If I don't have them under my control then I don't want them breathing at all. That's an order! Eiling, you've encountered the Flash before, so you scout out Central City. Lane you get National City with your history with Supergirl and A.R.G.U.S gets Star City."

"That'll be easy, President Spiner." Eiling promised arrogantly. "Especially since I know the Flash's identity. Trust me, he is the only one we need to get. Once I have him, then the rest will follow."

President Spiner smirked. "I like the way you think, general."


	52. The vibe

Chapter 52

Metropolis was everything Iris West-Allen had dreamed of ever since she was a girl. It was glamorous, huge –much bigger than Central City- and shiny like it was made out of gold. Iris could taste the privilege of living in Metropolis the moment she stepped out of the train and saw Lois waving at her with a warm smile on her face. So it's needless to say that Metropolis was terrifying. From the stories Lois had told her and from what she gathered as the other woman walked her through the city, Iris' senses picked up on the stress the city held and the danger it camouflaged perfectly underneath the false warmth and majestic bright lights. Having grown up in Central City her entire life, Iris knew that it was a city that moved fast regarding everything and even without the Flash speeding things up. Metropolis, on the other hand, could not be characterized as such, -it was a pretty normal-moving city- but it was glorious. It was the jewel of money, fame and privilege. Iris could smell it in the air; Metropolis would take you places if you wanted to do something more with your life.

Lois was not as down as Iris had originally thought, or perhaps the other reporter was very good at hiding her true feeling and waited until they were at the safety of her apartment to break down. Sometimes, Iris wishes that she's not right, because that's exactly what happened when they reached the apartment. They spent the next half hour curled on the couch, Lois crying and Iris comforting her by wrapping her in her arms and shushing her.

"I mean, I just want it to be over." Lois cried. "We were supposed to get married nine months ago and I know that he's doing it for the sake of the world, but I honestly don't know how much longer I can hold on without him. And it's getting tougher and harder to come up with good excuses for why he's not coming to work. And I just…" she sighed. "I think I've reached my breaking point."

Iris licked her lips as she watched Lois wipe away her tears and tried to not show her the pity she felt for the woman. Lois, pretty sure, didn't want to feel pitied right now. So instead, Iris, she tried something smoother. "I'm sorry, honey. I know how hard this must be for you."

Lois nodded with half a heart. "And I know that I should be stronger, but I can't. You are the only person I can be vulnerable around. If it was anyone else, they would eat me alive for showing some vulnerability." She sniffed.

"I'm sure that's not true." Iris didn't even believe her own words as she spoke them.

And naturally, Lois shook her head. "No, that's how it is. Gosh! Clark is probably watching me from wherever he is right now and is so disappointed in me. I am disappointed in me!"

"That's so not true, Lois. I'm confident that he is really proud of how strong you've been for him." Iris countered. "You are only human, Lois. The man you love is gone for almost two years and you've held it together. It's pretty impressive actually. I'm not sure I could've handled it so well if Barry was in his place." She confessed.

"You would've been fine." Lois told her. "You and I are made of the same stuff."

Iris smiled at her. She put in it as much warmth as she could to comfort the other woman until something that Lois said hit her.

"What is it?" Lois frowned seeing the change in Iris' expression.

"I just realized something." She said. "You said that Clark is watching you from that place."

"Yes," Lois confirmed.

"Then perhaps he is watching right now. We can say that we want the guy that has him and Rip Hunter to tell us more about this war and then have Cisco vibe him giving us this information."

Lois' eyes sparkled with happiness. "Of course!" she gasped excitedly. "Clark will tell him if he doesn't already know and we can give them a time and date. Only, what if he doesn't want to give us more information?" her face fell.

"Then I guess we just have to take that chance. Better do it, than wonder later what could've happened."

"You are right. We should tell the others. But right after we come back from investigating a lead a got this morning." She winked. "I heard rumors of some creature called Parademon lurking in an abandoned substation. You in?"

"You had me at 'lead'."

#

"I think that the first thing of order is to figure out who is going to Earth-19 and who is staying." Oliver said when the rest of the League gathered at the lab.

"Oliver is right." Barry agreed. "We can't force anyone to take part in this mission, only willing participants."

"And we also need half the team to stay back and keep an eye on our Earth while the rest of us are away." Kara continued.

"Well, I can stay and substitute for Kara." Mon-El was the first one to speak. "One super alien leaving Earth-1 is enough."

"I'm staying too. I am trying to get back custody of Zoe again and I have a meeting with Lucy Lane to look over the details."

"That's amazing!" Kara gasped just a little louder than the whispers of 'congratulation' from the others. "And I know that Alex and J'onn are staying at the D.E.O too."

"I want to come." Zatanna clapped her hands cheerfully. "I've never been to another earth other than this one. I'm really excited!"

"We too. Right, Grey?" Jax barely questioned the professor.

If he was thirty years younger, Martin would've done a backflip. "Please, Jefferson. I'm never one to miss out on an adventure. You can count us in."

"And besides, you are going to need us to fight against the other Firestorm." Jax added cleverly.

Barry nodded appreciatively his head. "That's great. And Cisco and Caitlin are coming with us. What about the rest of you?"

"I'll stay here." Sara said firmly. "I feel I'll be more useful on this earth than Earth-19."

"And we think we should also stay back." Kendra voted for her and Carter.

"I'll have to stay too. One of us has to look after the company." Ray added. "Or have you guys forgotten how we pay for everything?"

"To be fair I always wondered how STAR labs coped." Oliver admitted.

It caused Barry to gasp. "Hey! I was using Dr. Wells' money." He said loudly and then murmured. "It was blood money anyway; I had to get them out of my hands. At least they were spent helping the city."

Well, no one could argue with that.

"So that leaves Dinah and James to decide." Kara said with a smile on her face.

From the look on James' face, Kara could already tell what was going to be his answer. "I'll stay too." He finally spoke; dimensional travel was something beyond his wheelhouse.

That left only Dinah. The Black Canary took a deep breath and faced Kara, Barry and Oliver. "I'll go with you."

That settled it. With Dinah's vote at the Go-team that meant that the League was splitting in half to cover both targets. Barry looked appreciatively at his colleagues and smiled at them gratefully.

"Great! Thank you, all." He voiced what he felt. "I guess all that's left is to give Gypsy the details of who's going to Earth-19 to help out, so she can go back and tell her people."

"And to add on an entirely different subject…" Kara said cheerfully holding up what she brought from the Fortress of Solitude showing it off to everyone. "I think I figured what we can use against the Woldkillers."

The others narrowed their eyes on the shiny object looking at it curiously.

"Oh, it's…a set of…bracelets." Rene pointed out, his voice dangerously high.

"Are they power-dampening-magic-cuffs?" Sara added.

Kara frowned. "No-"

"I'm sorry." Rene interrupted her. "I still don't understand why we can't make some Kryptonite bullets for me, some kryptonite arrows for Oliver and a kryptonite…spear or something for Sara and then go all Deathstroke on the Worldkillers' asses?" he demanded, but then added quickly. "Of course we'd keep it far away from you Kara. Don't worry about that."

"Because," Alex started explaining. "The Worldkillers are only partly Kryptonian –a very small part of them to be exact. And although kryptonite can hurt them like getting stung by bees, it can't kill them. And on top of that, their regenerative abilities are so powerful they can recover from anything."

"Besides Barry's Infinite mass punch." Ray clarified.

"That's correct." Barry confirmed. "But we don't know if I can do that yet."

"Why can't Kara do the infinite thingy?" Kendra asked curious. "She is the most powerful out of all of us."

Kara sighed. "Because although I'm the strongest; I'm not the most powerful in this scenario. I can't reach the speeds necessary to perform the infinite mass punch."

"I've got an idea." Carter spoke up. It was an unfamiliar sound due to Carter not being keen on speaking too much. "We make a containment out of kryptonite and lock these monsters inside and throw away the key."

"What part of Kryptonite can't contain the Worldkillers did you not understand from before?"Caitlin sighed raising an eyebrow.

Carter shrugged without saying a word and wrapped his arm around Kendra.

"Maybe not, but Zatanna can do one of her little tricks and imprison the Worldkillers inside a teacup or something." Rene's eyes sparkled with excitement.

However, his colleagues didn't share his enthusiasm.

"Did you watch 'Fantastic Beasts' recently?" Barry asked, eyes narrowed, confused.

Rene looked equally confused at the speedster. "I've no idea what that is."

"Then you should definitely see it." Kara urged him. "It's an amazing movie and I'm certain Zoe already loves it."

"I guess for Zoe..."

"They are right." Caitlin chimed in. "Barry and Cisco made me watch it three times in the movies."

"Three times?!" Winn gasped loudly.

All of them turned to him surprised and startled. Winn was pouting for some reason and his sad eyes looked to Kara and James like they had betrayed him somehow.

"We only saw it two times!" he added and the statement made the rest of the League chuckle lightly.

"To answer Rene," Zatanna's melodic voice sounded loudly above the noise. "Firstly, nothing about my magic is little." The team enwrapped in snorts again. "And secondly, this isn't a cartoon. Magic doesn't work that way."

Rene snorted and turned to her, hand on hips. "Then magic sucks." He told to her face.

Zatanna gasped loudly. "Take that back!" she demanded.

"I won't!" he said back stubbornly.

"Zatanna's nose flattered with anger. "Do it or I'll turn you into a goat." She threatened.

"Oh, so now your magic does work like-"

"GUYS!" Oliver yelled loudly stopping the argument in its tracks. "We are here to find solutions to a life-threatening problem. If you two can't be mature enough to participate then walk away."

Despite his voice being low and calm this time, they all felt the threat running down their spines and the urge to submit to his command could not be ignored. Rene and Zatanna lowered their heads in shame and apologized in small voices before completely shutting up for the rest of the meeting.

"This entire conversation is pointless." Oliver spoke again. "We just suddenly started spitting out whatever random thing popped into our heads without letting Kara explain her plan to us."

Kara's blue eyes looked grateful at the archer. "Thank you." She mouthed to him. Oliver only offered her a respectful nod to let her know that he had her back. Kara took a deep breath and smiled before showing them the rings again.

"This isn't a set of bracelets." She told them strongly and with a hint of pride. "This is the Phantom Zone projector. It's a device that the Kryptonians used to banish dangerous criminals into the Fort Ross prison in the Phantom Zone." She explained. "To use it, you have to throw it and it becomes a portal that sucks you into Frost Ross unable to escape."

"You want to banish the Woldkiller into the Phantom Zone." Barry realized.

"It would make sense." Caitlin chimed in. "Time doesn't pass there and Kara had been stuck there for...what twenty years?"

Kara was nodding smiling when Alex sighed and shook her head. "It couldn't work. Fort Ross exploded, remember Kara when you had to throw it into space?" the agent arched an eyebrow challenging the younger sister.

Kara made a face. "I was hoping that this didn't happen in this reality." She said disappointedly. "But this could still work, you guys!" she continued excitedly. "The Phantom Zone is a very big space in…well, space. The Worldkillers will be trapped in there forever. It's almost impossible to get out."

"Almost!" Oliver pointed out. "You escaped."

"Oliver is right." Barry agreed. "We can't risk it."

"What if we open a breach and throw them in another Earth?" Rene suggested.

It only gained him a glare form Barry. "We are not going to make the Worldkillers another Earth's problem. We have to deal with them."

Suddenly Kara's blue eyes sparkled with an idea. "What if I find Fort Ross and then piece it back together?"

Winn's laughter echoed in their ears. "I'm sorry Kara but I don't think that Fort Ross could hold the Worldkillers. They could escape from anywhere we lock them in the universe and the Phantom Zone is not exactly a Pocket dimension." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Winn's eyes bulged.

"Pocket dimension!" he and Ray exclaimed in awe.

"What is that?" Sara asked confused.

#

Cisco was kissing Gypsy like she was the only air he could breathe. The tips of his fingers and his toes were tingling, while the rest of his body was completely numb. Cisco felt like he was high on cocaine and coffee. It didn't make sense; he knew it. But he didn't care. Because love was not supposed to make sense; it was supposed to feel this impossible way. And so Cisco gripped her dark hair tighter and kissed her with more passion. She only responded in kind. They parted after a while resting their heads against each other and Cisco rubbed his nose on hers affectionately.

Gypsy sighed. "If this ends and I'm still alive-"

" _When_ this ends and you _will be_ alive." Cisco corrected her.

She chuckled and kissed his nose. "When this ends," she used his words. "I want to come back to Earth-1 and stay with you permanently."

Cisco pulled away from her and stared at her surprised. "For real?"

She blushed and smiled. "Yes, for real. God, you make me schmoopy. I love and hate it." She groaned.

"Well," Cisco smirked. "You bring out the schmoopy in me." He chuckled.

A pregnant moment of silence passed them. Brown eyes looked inside chocolate ones filled with love and passion. Finally, Cisco sighed lightly and pecked Gypsy on the lips.

"We should probably figure out when Dark Earth is going to invade." He suggested.

Gypsy was nodding even before he finished his sentence. "Absolutely! We should join our powers and hopefully, we'll be able to vibe a date or something that- What?" she asked when she saw Cisco shaking his head. "You don't agree with me?"

"I have another idea." He admitted. "You should go back to your earth and talk to your father and the other collectors about our arrival. I'll take care of the other thing."

Cisco spoke with so much reassurance that it made Cynthia's heart flutter. She curled both her hands in his hair and kissed him. "God, I love you!"

Cisco blinked at her. "You-you've never told me you love me before." He mumbled.

Gypsy blinked back just as surprised as he was. But then it hit her. "I guess I do." Was all she said.

Cisco licked his lips and grinned wildly. "I love you too." He said softly. "Now let's go."

Cisco led Cynthia to the cortex where he knew the rest of the superheroes were. They were about to enter when he heard their discussion about pocket dimensions.

"What is that?" Sara asked confused as everyone else.

Cisco could not possibly pass that opportunity, so he spoke up before Winn or Ray could. "It's another dimension within our dimension." He explained in a few words.

"It's still not helpful." Sara shook her head.

"Yes," Kendra greed. "Can you give us the dumb version?"

Cisco sighed. "A pocket dimension is a 2D dimension that exists in our world but it's so small that can be characterized as another plane of existence."

He watched as his friends looked at each other, still sporting lost expressions on their faces. "Still, no?" he groaned.

"How about the ' _dumb'_ dumb version?" Kara suggested.

"Maybe, I can explain it better!" Ray said excitedly.

"Wait, I got it!" Felicity exclaimed loudly. " _Pocket dimension is another dimension that is not so other._ " She read from the phone. _"Pocket Dimensions are spaces that are too small or too easily accessible to be truly considered a separate dimension and are referred to as a small extra pocket of space that is attached to our own._ It keeps going, but I don't think it's any more elaborative." She frowned.

"Why are you even talking about Pocket Dimensions?" Cisco asked.

"Oh, Kara was showing us the Phantom Zone projector she found in the Fortress of Solitude and I said that we can't lock the Worldkiller there cause it's no pocket dimension." Winn explained.

Cisco made an impressed expression with his throat and his eyes sparkled with interest. "Winn, my friend, that is an amazing idea."

Winn chuckled. "I know, right? It was completely out of the blue."

"Our only issue is that Pocket Dimensions are only theoretical until this point." Ray jumped in the conversation.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Oliver waved his hands. "You want us to make a plan based on a ''theoretical'' assumption that what you just said exists?" he quoted.

Cisco narrowed his eyes on the archer. "Parallel universes were also theoretical." He shot back. "How ''theoretical'' are they now?" he challenged.

Oliver stabbed him with his glare. "I'll put your theoretical up your-"

"GUYS!" Barry yelled. "Let's not waste time arguing with each other. We need as many options as we can think."

"Barry is right." Kara agreed. "Look, Cisco was able to create a device to breach into another universe. I'm positive he can figure out a way to turn the Phantom Zone projector into a Pocket-dimension-entrance."

"Buuuuuuut….." Cisco sang. "I'll be busy with this other thing." He pointed at Gypsy reminding everyone about Earth-19. "Which reminds me, Sara can I talk to you for a moment."

The White Canary raised her eyebrows but followed Cisco into the hallway. Gypsy found herself without backup in a room full of super friends –pun intended. In her entire career, Gypsy never needed someone to back her up or fight her battles. Now, however, wished she had Cisco's comforting presence beside her.

"I need to go too." She said facing them. "But before that, I need to thank all of you for deciding to help out my earth. I can't imagine how I could ever repay you." She said sincerely.

Only she spoke a little too soon. "There will be a time when we'll ask you to repay us." Oliver Queen said strongly. Though he had never met Cynthia before, he could tell just by looking at her what kind of person she was. She was strong, honest, loyal, a fighter. Qualities that he respected in a person. "We agreed to give our help because we all love Cisco." He continued. "And because I'd like to think that in the amplitude of the Multiverse we have more allies to count on in a moment of crisis. So tell me, Gypsy. Is earth-19 an ally of Earth-1?"

Oliver's blue eyes stared at the bounty hunter piercing into her soul. Gypsy, under normal circumstances, would've told Oliver that her earth had voted a law that forbids Multiversal interactions/relationships. But screw Earth-19 and screw the rules. Her people were wrong to vote this law and the future was why. Without aid from an alliance from another earth, hers could as well end up in flames.

So she looked Oliver deep in his cold eyes and nodded. "Yes, you can count Earth-19 as an ally."

The archer studied her for a while and then nodded pleased. "Good. Just know that there will be a time when we'll ask you to return the favor."

Gypsy nodded one more time and bid her goodbyes to everyone. Then she left to inform her father of the progress.

The League was left, once again, on its own. Only Earth-1 members. Winn took the Phantom Zone projector out of Kara's hands and examined it thoughtfully.

"Cisco might not be here to work on the door-into-the-pocket-dimension, but Ray and I could." He said. "I mean, I don't want to brag, but I did kick a living computer's ass."

"Yeah, that's bragging." Alex snickered.

"And I did make the ATOM suit." Ray added just as excited. "I invented shrinking, guys."

"Why are you even proud of that?" Rene teased him.

"Alright," Barry nodded his head with appreciation. "If you guys think you can create a way to trap the Worldkillers into the Pocket dimension, then go for it." He told them. "And if you are successful then maybe I don't have to learn the whole Infinite mass punch after all. What?" he asked at the disapproving looks he got from Kara and Oliver. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I remember a wise person saying that we needed all the backup plans we can think of." Oliver told him.

"Because our original plans never work." Kara added.

Barry made a face at them. "You can't use my own words against me."

"You are learning the damn move, Barry!"

#

Sara insisted on driving her bike back to Caitlin's apartment. A big mistake on Cisco's part. His life flashed in front of his eyes multiple times as the ex-assassin took curved turns and Cisco definitely didn't trust his life with a speed-limit-breaker that was not a speedster. The reason why the metahuman was currently headed to his death-bed? : the herb Sara had given Caitlin for meditation when they were trying to fix hers and Killer Frost's relationship. Honestly, Cisco didn't know why he hadn't thought of it sooner. So, obviously, Sara had some leftover herbs in the apartment, hence the death-ride. Seriously, he was not getting on any vehicles that he himself didn't drive any time soon.

"Will you just relax?" Sara told him in a chill manner as she dumped her jacket on the couch. "I wasn't even going that fast."

Cisco pierced her with a dark look. "I strongly disagree."

"Whatever you say, man. Purr purr." She teased him making a chicken dance.

Cisco was not amused by neither the dance nor the laughter. "Can you just give me those herbs." He asked her.

Sara stopped dancing around and gave him a one up and down look. "Alright!" she sighed and moved towards the kitchen.

Cisco passed impatient and nervous on the carpet. It didn't occur to him until this moment that this was it. He was about to see things he didn't know if he could unsee. And that scared him. He didn't know what to expect and that was worse than knowing what horrible thing was going to happen. Sara noticed him as she reentered the living room and paused. Honestly, she felt bad for Cisco. He must be worried out of his mind for this girl. Sara didn't exactly know the feeling. She was not one to be emotionally invested in a relationship and those that meant something more to her usually knew how to take care of themselves. The only person she had ever worried for was her sister Laurel. She had made a point of protecting her when she secretly returned to Starling City after joining the League of Assassins. When Laurel became the Black Canary, Sara had thought that her big sister didn't need her protection after all. Unfortunately, she was proven wrong not long after.

Sara sighed pushing her sad thoughts out of her mind. "Here." She got Cisco's attention. "Don't use too much or you'll end up in a coma." She warned him offering him the jar.

Cisco eyed it at first and then took it from her hands. "Thanks, Sara." He said softly. "Well, I should go do it at my apartment."

Sara shook her head. "No, you should stay here so I can keep an eye on you."

Cisco nodded with appreciation. "Got it, safety." He chuckled uncomfortably. "Thanks."

The blonde gave him an amused look. "You should stop thanking me and get to dreaming." She pointed to the carpet.

Cisco's eyes widened. "Oh, you want me to vibe down here?" he asked skeptically.

Sara groaned and rolled her eyes. "I'll get you a workout mattress. And the carpet is clean by the way." She yelled as she walked away to her bedroom.

If you moved past the bitter taste, the herbal beverage was not actually that bad, Cisco came to realize. It actually left a numbing feeling -all too familiar with the way alcohol numbs your body. Okay, honest to God, Cisco could not feel his brain; it had numbed so much it felt like he had bubbles in his head instead. But perhaps that was how it was supposed to feel. One thing was certain: he couldn't use his mouth properly to ask Sara if the herb was actually supposed to make you like this. But not before too long, Cisco felt the familiar sensation of a vibe overtaking him. Cisco let the current of energies carry him along, completely letting go of everything and all resistance. It was working –he could feel it.

 _He had never worked out why his vibes were always in grey. It felt like he was inside an old movie. Nevertheless, he could always count on them to show him what he wanted. So he could hardly complain about the visual aspect. Cisco took in the familiarly-unfamiliar surroundings of CCPD. Familiar because it was the Central City Police Department, and unfamiliar because it was not the one he was used to seeing for time to time. Cisco spun around the oddly dressed officers-collectors, Cisco reminded himself. They were called collectors on Earth-19. He made a note to move quickly. One of them must have a newspaper on their person or perhaps Cisco could take a peek at the date on a cell phone or a TV or from somewhere else._

 _He only managed to take a step and a half before another current of energies overtook him. For a moment, Cisco worried that the herbs had worn off and the vibe was over. But soon he found himself not in reality, but in an endless void of darkness that sparkled in random moments. It was like looking at the galaxy from up close._ What the hell is that?, _Cisco wondered to himself._

" _Francisco Ramon!" a familiar voice called out._

 _Cisco felt shivers as he turned around to face his doppelganger. Cisco of Dark Earth was much different than him. For one, his hair was short and looked a lot like Barry's. Cisco immediately hated it. He would cut off the fingers of whoever tried to cut his precious hair. The other thing that was obviously different was the whole motorcycle thing he had going on. Leather jacket with two lines on each side from the torso to the end –one red and one yellow. His pants were similar with a lot of zippers to make it look cool instead of practical and the motorcycle boots he wore; Cisco could bet weighted much more than they should. All in all, Cisco was pretty jealous of his doppelganger except from that awful haircut._

" _It's Cisco actually." He remembered to correct him._

 _Dark Cisco nodded his head in a simple gesture. "That is an interesting development." His double continued. "I've been scoping out Earth-19 for days now and I never saw my doppelganger. That and given the fact that you were vibing the same earth as me, I'd say you are from another earth. Which one I don't know nor care. But what I do want to know is why the interest?"_

" _Like I'd tell you." Cisco shot back._

 _Dark Cisco whistled and raised his hands in the air as if he was surrendering. "Why so defensive, Cisco?" he chuckled._

" _I have bad experience with my doppelgangers."_

 _A knowing look appeared on the other Cisco's face. "I get that." He said sincerely._

" _I have a question for you. Why is Red Death planning on attacking Earth-19, Dark Cisco?" Cisco demanded._

 _To his surprise, the Dark Earth Cisco Ramon stated laughing. "Is that what you call me?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. "I have to confess, I always hated the fact that the other Earths started calling mine Dark Earth. It's really not dark at all."_

" _Not from what I hear."_

 _Cisco received an amused look from his doppelganger. "Whispers, rumors, tales…You should know better than listening to tittle-tattle."_

 _Cisco bit his lip and tried to not snarl at him. Seeing that he was not going to get a reaction out of him, dark Cisco sighed and his eyes glimmered with seriousness._

" _Earth-19 has something that belongs to Red Death." He told Cisco. "For how defensive you got earlier I assume that you plan on defending that earth. Since you are my doppelganger I won't be hard on you and I'll even give you some additional help. In three days Red Death and the Regime will arrive on Earth-19 to collect. You have by then to find it and deliver it to us, or we will be forced to raid Earth-19 and get it ourselves."_

" _That is not even helpful!" Cisco shouted back at his doppelganger._

But it was too late. Dark Cisco had dropped out of the vibe and Cisco just found himself yelling in Sara's face. Cisco blinked as did the ex-assassin.

"Do you talk in your sleep too?" she asked frowning.

Cisco couldn't answer her. He was too busy freaking out.

 **Thank you for reading, guys.**

 **Also, tell which has been your favorite chapter so far, I'm curious to know.**


	53. Cold hearts and faraway mysteries

Chapter 53

The night sky was quiet and peaceful, like a painting decorating the finest art galleries. And it would've been full of stars if it wasn't for Metropolis' bright lights covering the starlight. 'La Luna' was packed, to say the least. Winn had started slightly sweating uncomfortably from the rich people surrounding him and from worry that Caitlin might change her mind and not show up after all. Winn Schott was not one to plan fancy dates; definitely not as glamorous as one in Metropolis. But he had been so nervous about giving a good first impression that he had spent four hours changing clothes and taking dating advice from his buddy, James Olsen. And since James knew about his date with Caitlin, that meant that Lena knew too. And the Luthor billionaire just had to stick her nose into their business and arrange them a last minute reservation to one of the finest restaurants in Metropolis.

Fast forward to this moment, Winn felt relief wash over him when his eyes caught the sight of Caitlin being guided by one of the waiters to their table. His gaze froze on her mesmerizing figure. She wore a simple, but elegant blue dress with silver details and her hair was in a low bun with a few curls falling on her face and she wore the brightest red lipstick that made Winn want to smudge across his face. She smiled semi-shy at him when she reached the table and Winn made a point of getting up from his chair to greet her properly. He carefully took her pale hand in his and kissed her knuckles softly.

"You look..." Winn stared at her speechless. "I want to say 'amazing' but I feel it's a bit cliché."

Caitlin blushed deep red and chuckled lightly. "Thank you, Winn." She bit her lip. "You look really handsome too."

It was Winn's time to blush now. Clearing his throat, he pulled her chair back. "Shall we?" he offered.

Caitlin accepted his offer throwing him a sweet smile. Winn took a breath and sat opposite her. They stared at each other in silence. This was awkward. Winn played with his bowtie. He felt like it was choking him. Caitlin wrinkled her nose and made faces with her mouth. Neither knew how to start a conversation. The only thing they had in common was the League and they had agreed that they would leave that part of their lives home and focus on themselves.

"This is awkward." Winn chuckled finally.

Caitlin mirrored him and nodded. "I know. I haven't been on a real date since before Ronnie disappeared. I've forgotten how to act."

"Oh, don't worry. I haven't been on a date since..." he paused to guess. "A very long time." He admitted finally.

"This is a very fancy restaurant," Caitlin observed looking around.

"Indeed." He agreed. "That's what you get when you have rich friends that don't know how to mind their own business." He said humorously.

Caitlin giggled and shook her head lightly. "It was a nice gesture, though." She admitted. "Nice, but far out from what I'm used to. I mean, the finest place I've ever dinned was with Ronnie the night we got engaged. Usually, we just went out for pizza in Central City or Keystone. And-" her eyes widened in horror as she realized something. "And I'm a terrible date." She sounded apologetic. "We've been here for ten minutes and I've managed to talk about my dead husband twice by now." She shook her head bitterly. "I'm sorry, Winn. I wouldn't hold it against you if you left. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I-"

But Winn stopped her by taking her hands in his. "Caitlin," he looked deep in her eyes. "You don't have to apologize. I want you to talk about whatever you want to talk about. I don't want you to feel pressured and I'm definitely not threatened by your husband." He told her sincerely. "I never met Ronnie, but from what little I've heard about him from Cisco he sounds like a great guy that I would've liked to be friends with. And I know that he was a very important part of your life, so I don't want you to forget him." Caitlin felt like sobbing from the emotions that he made her feel. "Caitlin, I care about you. If you feel like you're not ready to start dating, I can understand. But I want you to know that I don't want to replace what Ronnie was to you. I just want to see if I can make you happy in my own way. I want you to talk to me about Ronnie if that's what you want. Or not." He shrugged lightly. "But I don't mind and I don't feel put off or threatened."

Slowly, he reached and wiped a tear from Caitlin's cheek. Cait sighed and closed her teary eyes to collect herself. When she opened them to stare back at Winn, they were glimmering. And despite the reason being hurtful, she looked more beautiful than ever.

"You have no idea what you just said means to me." She told him with a lump in her throat.

In exchange, Winn gave her a hopeful look. Caitlin chuckled and wiped the rest of her tears. "I guess we're doing this." She shrugged laughing. "Okay, um...perhaps we should order something for the nerves."

Winn grinned at her. "That is an excellent idea." He said enthusiastically. "Let me call the waiter."

He raised his hand and in a polite manner waved at the waiter to approach. Only, to his sudden mortification, when his attention returned to his date Winn found that it was not Caitlin staring back at him but Frost. His eyes bulged and he started sweating.

" **Hello, handsome!** "

"Frost! What are you doing?" he whispered in terror.

Frost winked at him and waved her fingers playfully at him. " **I got bored waiting for you and Cait to move things along. So I decided to spice things up. Besides, it's my turn now. You can have Cait back in a while.** " She smirked playfully at him.

Winn's mouth stood agape as he heard the meta's explanation. "What if someone saw you change?" he shot back worriedly.

From the amused/bored look on Frost's face, Winn gathered that she didn't really care if anyone saw Caitlin change into a cryogenic metahuman. Frost threw him a kiss and winked again.

" **We like red wine.** " She told him. " **The oldest, the better**."

And that was only when Winn realized that the waiter had arrived to take their order. Horrified, Winn ordered something in a trance, his eye wavering between Frost and the waiter. He felt like he could breathe again only when he was left alone with the Ice Queen again. He didn't appreciate the smug look on Frost's face one bit.

"Do you want to kill me?!" he accused her.

Frost frowned. " **No!** "

"Then why are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Frost smirked at him. Then Winn felt her cold hand trailing up his side and reaching for his collar. Frost curled her fingers around his bowtie and pulled him closer.

" **You look so stiff, Winny. Let me relax you**."

Winn realized what she meant by that when she started leaning in ready to kiss him frozen. He squirmed in her grip and tried to move away. Frost opened her glowing eyes and took in his discomfort. She frowned but pulled back.

" **Unless you don't want me to**." She said quietly.

It felt so off hearing Frost speak like she was a wounded bird. It made Winn feel bad. But she had caught him off guard. "It's not that, I-" how could he tell her that didn't know how to speak to her? "Can I speak to Caitlin please?" he asked her praying that she wouldn't ice him.

Frost took her hand away as if he had burned her. She looked bewildered for the first time and Winn feared that she would lash out. But instead Frost lost the low in her eyes and she melted back into Caitlin. The doctor blinked coming to focus and then turned to Winn.

"Did Frost take control?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

Still in shock Winn nodded his head. They hadn't discussed this. Neither had even thought about their unique situation. Caitlin and Frost were two different personalities sharing the same body. Whatever one of them did, the other was always a passenger. It was idiotic to think that when Winn and Caitlin started dating, Frost would stay a silent third wheel. Besides, it was Frost who made the first move in the first place. Did that mean that the ice meta was interested in Winn, that she wanted to date him? And if so, how exactly did that work and what did it mean for him and Caitlin?

"I think we need to talk." He mumbled.

It would appear that Caitlin had also come to the same realization if the shocked look on her face was anything to go by.

Slowly, she nodded her head. "I think we do." She agreed. "We didn't think about Frost."

Winn nodded quietly. "Yes," he agreed. "This is tricky." He chuckled humorlessly. "I mean she is a part of you."

"She is."

"So, what do we do? Do I date you? Do I date _her_? Do I date you _both_? Does it even count as two people? I mean how does the relationship work?" he asked repeatedly, freaking out.

Caitlin was frozen in her place. "I don't know what to tell you." She answered him sincerely. "Something feels off."

"What is it?" Winn asked immediately worried.

"It's Frost, something is upsetting her." She told him. "It feels like she just shut the door to my face. I have to go home." She said getting up.

Winn's eyes widened and he got up too. "Right now?"

"Yes, I..." she gave him an apologetic look. "Look, Winn, I'm sorry, but I have to go talk to her. I can't have her being mad at me. And in the meantime, I'll discuss with her what to do about this." She pointed between the two of them. "Maybe we should reschedule another date for when we return from Earth-19. We'll have an answer for you by then."

With a sigh, Winn nodded. "Okay, go. And tell her that I didn't mean to hurt her."

Caitlin smiled sweetly at him and cupped his cheek. "I will." She promised.

And after, she reached and left a ghost kiss on his lips. Then she was gone.

#

Caitlin found herself surrounded by an icy mist. Her skin felt cold and her body tremored. She really wished that her split personality didn't have to be so stubborn. Caitlin was only glad that Frost had not decided to build an ice fortress to keep her out. She rolled her eyes at her thoughts despite the faint smile that appeared on her lips. That was such a Frost thing to do.

She found Frost mopping around, not far away from where she stood. In their mental projection, Frost was wearing a furry black and white coat, like she had skinned a wolf and wrapped it around herself.

"Don't you think it's a little ironic?" Caitlin called out. "You wearing that coat when you are not affected by the cold?"

Frost slowly turned around to face her. Platinum white hair, porcelain skin, and those glowing eyes, framed by the wolf fur. She genuinely looked like an Ice Queen. But it was the expression on her face that made Caitlin's stomach drop.

" **I don't feel like talking, Caity.** " She said flatly. There was no humor in her voice, no playfulness, nothing sinister in her tone. And it scared Caitlin. " **Especially not with you.** "

"I want you to tell me why you're mad at me!" Caitlin demanded instead.

Frost stared at her for a brief moment completely emotionless. It appeared that she was going to ignore her, but thankfully, she didn't.

" **I'm not mad at you, Caity**." She replied more softly this time.

"Then why does it feel that way? If you're not mad at me, then what happened to make you this upset? You were fine!"

" **I said I don't want to talk about it.** " Now she glared at her.

Caitlin folded her arms in front of her chest and lifted her chin stubbornly. If Frost was going to be difficult then so was she. "Then you are out of luck." She shot back. "Does this have to do with Winn?"

" **Of course it has to do with Winn!** " Frost exploded. " **It has to do with everyone.** "

"I don't understand." Caitlin frowned. "You are doing fine with everyone, they love you."

" **No, they don't!** " Frost told her as a matter of fact. " **They care about you. They love you. They only tolerate me because we are stuck in the same body.** "

"That is not true." Caitlin shook her head refusing to believe those words.

Frost scoffed like Caitlin was the most naïve person she had met. " **And it's not even about that.** " She continued. " **I can't be with anyone. Firstly, because you and I are a package deal. And secondly, I can't even kiss someone without turning them into an organic ice sculpture.** " She admitted. " **And I hate that I know the word organic and how to use it properly. I blame you for this.** " She pouted and then sighed turning her gaze down. " **I guess who I'm really mad at is myself**."

Caitlin realized that her mouth was hanging open only when her jaw started hurting. And what was that ugly feeling in her gut? Guilt probably. She took a few careful steps towards Frost until she stood right in front of her. Caitlin opened her mouth not knowing what to say. She shook her head when nothing came out. She felt ashamed. Ashamed that she hadn't thought of Frost as nothing more than a defending mechanism that took over whenever she needed.

"I don't know what to say." Finally, she said shamefully. "I never gave thought to what affects your powers will have on you. I-" but she couldn't finish. Most of all because she didn't know how.

Frost shrugged and the pained look in her eyes hurt Caitlin even more. " **It's not your fault. I don't blame you.** " _But I blame myself,_ Caitlin wanted to scream. " **I know I play the tough, cold person who doesn't care about anything. But I have feelings too, you know.** "

"Why did you not say anything to me?"

Frost chuckled at Caitlin's question. " **Because I'm supposed to be the tough one.** " She said simply. " **I was worried that if I showed you my insecurities, then you'll start worrying about me too and I didn't know if you could hold it together. I was just looking out for you**."

After Frost's confession, Caitlin felt her heart bleed for her. "I want you to talk to me about these things." She tried pleading. "You matter to me, okay. Your feelings matter. I don't want you to drown yourself, just because you were trying to protect me. We are in this together and we share everything."

Caitlin didn't know if it was the actual words or the tone in her voice, but she was still happy to see Frost smirk a little and arch an amused eyebrow at her.

" **I suppose you are a little more badass than I give you credit for.** "

"A little?!" Caitlin gasped mocking offense. "I'll have you know that I am super badass. Do you know how many times I've saved those heroes-wannabes from dying?"

Now Frost grinned fully at her. " **That's right!** "

Unfortunately, their smiles didn't last long.

"Do you like Winn a lot?" Caitlin asked sincerely.

Trying to appear tough, Frost shrugged. " **He is the only one I'm interested in trying to see if I like.** " She admitted.

Caitlin sighed taking in the reply. "Do you want me to stop seeing him?"

This time Frost snorted. **"Don't be silly. I know you like him too. Even if you haven't admitted it to yourself yet.** " She said smartly. " **If one of us can have him, I'd rather it be you than some slut – or worse, a geek.** "

"Why are you giving up so easily?" In response, Frost stared at her with an are-you-really-asking look. "Yes, I really want to know!" Caitlin insisted.

Frost groaned but gave in. " **Didn't I just say that I can't physically be with anyone?** "

"We'll figure something out," Caitlin said back hopefully.

 **"Besides that, it's not like anyone actually wants me.** "

"And I told you that it's not true."

" **You know I really liked it when we didn't speak to each other.** " Frost scolded. " **You are really annoying.** "

Caitlin gave her a knowing look. "You don't mean that."

They stared at each other, neither willing to give up being stubborn. But finally, Frost sighed and groaned. " **Fine! I didn't mean it. I like being in good terms with you.** "

Caitlin threw her hands in the air and whistled happily. "Yes!" she exclaimed making Frost roll her eyes. "Now, about the Winn situation." She continued. "We need to decide on something. And I don't want to hear anything about you can't be with anyone." She pointed out. "What do you want to do?"

" **I think whatever we decide, we decide the same thing for both of us. We share the same body after all.** "

Caitlin nodded. Frost had a very valid point. Whatever one of them did, it also affected the other. "So all or nothing you're saying."

" **Pretty much.** " Frost agreed. " **Either we both date him or neither does. Are you okay with that?** "

Truth be told Caitlin didn't know the answer to that. "You seem to be."

Frost shrugged. " **Why wouldn't I? Despite being inactive for the longest time, I've always shared your experiences.** "

There was a big truth in her words, Caitlin realized. She spun it around in her head and came to the same conclusion. Whatever she did, she will always need to include Frost in too. And the more she thought about it the more the idea warmed in her head. Because having Frost being a part of her gave her a feeling of security she never knew she was missing. In the end, a small smile appeared on Caitlin's face. It gave Frost the answer that she needed.

"Alright." She agreed. "But we have to ask Winn if he's okay with this too."

" **Fine by me.** "

"And when we come back from Earth-19 we'll figure out a way for you to touch someone without freezing them to death."

" **You promise?** " Frost asked doubtfully.

"You bet."

#

"Father it's the only way." Gypsy was trying to reason with her father on Earth-19.

It was a task almost unachievable.

"I don't know if I can trust those friends of yours, Cynthia." Breacher said with a scowl.

Gypsy inhaled slowly from her nose and tightened her hands into fists trying to control herself from hitting her father over the head. The idea was becoming all and more compelling by the minute.

"I'm giving you a way to save our Earth and all you can be is a stubborn, old, buffoon." She yelled at him.

Her father didn't appear affected by her words, however. "We can defend our Earth ourselves just fine."

"Not against the Regime from Dark-Earth." Gypsy insisted.

"We don't know if Red Death is the one who's going to attack us." Breacher shot back.

Cynthia felt like pulling out her hair. "Yes, we do!" she insisted again.

Unfortunately, her father was having none of it. "From some witch from another Earth?" He mocked.

Gypsy glared at him. He was a stubborn old man, but she was her father's daughter. "I don't care if you don't like people from other Earths, daddy. I'm going to let Cisco's friends come and help us save our home whether you like it or not." She told him with finality in her voice. "You might be too proud to ask help from others, but I'm going to do the right thing and protect my planet." Then she turned and faced the other collectors beneath her. "I'm bringing reinforcements from another Earth. I don't care if you have a problem, get over it." She ordered and walked away from the banister.

Choosing to ignore her father's disapproving glare, Gypsy pointed her focus on the empty wall ahead of her and sighed sending a vibe to Cisco with the green light to broad her Earth. It was not long after that a breach opened at the place she was staring at. Gypsy held her breath while waiting to see which member of the League was going to step out first. And as fate would have it, it was the Flash. Cynthia's eyes had become accustomed to the yellow lightning the speedster left trailing behind. So she was not caught off guard when it sped out of the portal and started moving around the building. However, she heard the gasps from her colleagues. She knew that they could only see the lightning and the lack of a face made them uncomfortable. Everyone, except for her partner. Being a speedster as well, he was the only one who could see the other speedster's figure. Gypsy more knew than felt him twitch. She glanced at him, telling him with her eyes to not move. Thankfully, he listened to her. Once the Flash had cased the entire building, he came to a stop in front of the breach; at last, showing the individuals of Earth-19 all his red glory.

"It's safe." He yelled towards the breach.

And then people started popping out. The first one through was a blonde woman with a cape that Gypsy learned was Supergirl. Following her, the Green Arrow jumped through with Black Canary behind him. They each stepped to either side of the breach. Both vigilantes remained stoic and alert being in unfamiliar surroundings, while Supergirl was more relaxed.

"I'll go check the perimeter," Flash told his partners.

"And I'll x-ray around," Supergirl added.

Oliver nodded pleased underneath his hood. And then Flash was gone with the trail of his significant lightning following him like a dog. Supergirl turned around narrowing her eyes. Gypsy could only guess that she was using her x-ray vision to scan the place. Behind her, two more individuals came through. Caitlin landed firmly on her feet. By now she was used to traveling to other universes.

Next to her Zatanna let out a loud squeal. "That was _awesome!_ " she gasped dancing around.

Her crazy dance was not bothered by Firestorm's entrance, nor Felicity's who awkwardly stumbled in and almost dropped her computer. Finally, Cisco was the last who came through and closed the breach behind him. The Flash sped back in completing the circle his friends had made.

"The coast is clear." He informed them.

"My x-ray says so too." Kara confirmed.

Oliver nodded pleased once again. "Then let's get to business."

Moving as one, they all turned and locked eyes with Gypsy. The bounty hunter wondered for a brief moment if they had planned this. But she dismissed the thought quickly shaking her head.

"All this wasn't necessary." She pointed out.

Barry gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, we have a paranoid friend."

"I'm not paranoid!" Oliver complained.

Barry smirked at him. "I never said it was you."

Their grand entrance was short-lived, however. Because Breacher was a stubborn mule.

"ARREST THEM!" he ordered his collectors.

Everyone's eyes widened, including Gypsy's. "Everyone, stand down!" she quickly countered her father's order.

Those who had managed to take a step forward froze immediately in their tracks. Breacher huffed with annoyance. He glared at the Earth-1 invaders and then glanced at his daughter with betrayal.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he demanded. "Unauthorized dimensional travel is punishable by our most sacred law. They are unwanted here and I am arresting them."

"Yes, but any high-rank collector has the authority to allow people from other Earths to enter our planet." She countered back just as strongly as her father. "And I've given clearance to these people to enter Earth-19. So no, father, you can't arrest them."

Cisco snickered at the burn and felt proud of how badass the woman he loved was. Then he semi-hid behind Kara, just in case Breacher decided to forget the law and go for Cisco's head.

"That is not the ' _Welcome to Earth-19_ ' I was expecting," Felicity mumbled in his ear.

"Man, you've seen nothing." He whispered back.

But the head of the Collectors was more focused on his daughter. "Why do you insist on opposing me, Cynthia?"

"Because you're being an old, prideful, bullhead." Her reply really made Cisco want to whistle, but instead, he swallowed it.

"I have every reason to be," Breacher told his daughter. "All of us do. You don't remember because you were just a baby when Earth-15 invaded our planet and tried to take over. You didn't witness them burning our homes and killing everything living. But I was the one who gathered the first collectors and led them against the invader. I was the one who lost soldiers under my command. So don't tell me that I am prideful. You are not smarter than me, Cynthia."

"But you are ignorant." Oliver snapped.

"Just because you got attacked by another Earth doesn't mean that all of them are the same," Kara added.

"Gypsy came to ask for our help because she loves her Earth and wants to protect her people. That's what loyal people do. She decided that protecting her Earth was more important than her pride. You don't seem like her at all." Barry said wisely.

"We left our Earth to offer our assistance when we had no obligation to do so. But if we are unwelcomed then we can leave." Oliver finished coldly.

And apparently, nothing could get through this man's head, because Breacher lifted his chin high and stared at them with a blank expression. "You should. We are more than capable of defending our planet."

"Not against Red Death!" Barry told him.

"Red Death has no reason to invade our Earth and you have no evidence that indicates that."

"Actually, we do," Cisco said loudly and stepped from behind Kara.

Cisco pierced his gaze into Breacher and stood his ground. He was right and he wasn't going to back down. He heard Gypsy gasp and turned to her.

"Did you really manage to vibe something?" she asked hopefully.

"I did more than that," Cisco said promisingly. "But I'm not sure you'll like it."

"What is it going to be, Breacher?" Oliver challenged. "Is your pride worth more than your people's lives?"

#

J'onn's sift at the D.E.O ended late at night. It had been a strange day at work but then again when wasn't? J'onn unlocked the door of his apartment and breathed in the smell of home. He was planning on taking a long bath and then perhaps fall asleep on the couch watching old detective movies. He hanged his coat at the stand by the door and took off his shoes leaving them next to it. It was right then that J'onn noticed something. When he bent to set his shoes against the wall, right next to the stand. A white envelope was left on the furniture's feet. Alert bells started screaming inside J'onn's head immediately. On first glance, the envelope didn't have any handwriting that addressed to whom it was directed or who wrote it. There was a risk that J'onn had to take. It could easily be a bomb or something equally deadly. On the other hand, what if it wasn't? J'onn calculated the odds in his head and then cautiously picked up the envelope. He weighed it in his hand. It was light. And there was something inside it –but not a letter; something like a pack of matches. He brought it to his ear, but he could not hear any ticking. It was also too small to be a phone. But what could it be? J'onn decided to open it. To his surprise, it was a small iPod; like the ones he had seen people wearing at his gym. There was a tape glued on the back that wrote ' _play me_ '. J'onn picked his earbuds from the nearby shelve and pressed play.

" _I'm sorry if I startled you, J'onn, but there was no other way to contact you without raising suspicion."_ The voice was disoriented. _"I need to talk to you in person. Your life could be in danger. And your place is most likely bugged. Inside the iPod is a mini E.M.P switch. Meet me tomorrow at midnight in the last place you saw M'gann. Take care!"_

J'onn took off the earbuds in a state of confusion. There were only a handful of people who knew where M'gann was and when he saw her last. And the level of secrecy in this one message was not only alarming, but it also gave the slightest clue of who the person behind the mysterious voice was. He was only hoping he was right.

#

In the forest in the outskirts of Central City, General Wade Eiling was setting up his camp. He had gone over a few strategies; siege being one of them. However, he didn't believe that Barry Allen would be very forgiving if he was to move directly against his beloved city. And what excuse would he have for that act anyway? Eiling might have the president's blessing in pursuing the Flash and his hero gallery, but he also didn't put it past Spiner to throw him under the bus if things went awry. So, for now, Eiling hid his army in the woods while he waited for the perfect opportunity to lure the Flash in a trap.

Eiling couldn't help but grin.

In the few encounters he had with the Flash, Barry Allen had managed to sabotage his plans. And while the general didn't particularly want to go up against the speedster given the track record of villains who tried and got beat, Eiling had placed Allen's name in his metaphorical Black List. At last, he was going to get his hands on a real metahuman, although he never really understood why Allen was so special after all. The kid –because they were talking about a kid- was more gangly, more skin and bones than intimidating or someone who emitted power. In his starting days as the Streak, Eiling had thought that the kid won from pure luck. However, to his surprise, the winnings continued. Now, Eiling had started to think that it was more than luck on his side. It was the reason he was being extra cautious. And he was only hoping that Lane was doing the same in National City. His colleague had been made a fool by Supergirl before. He hoped to God it didn't happen again.

One thing was sure; time would tell.


	54. When the cat's away

Chapter 54

Over in Metropolis, the two fearless reporters made their way down a shutdown subway station. Lois held a flashlight in her hands and purred light ahead of their feet so that they'd know where to step and where not to. Iris walked behind her following Lois' temp. She didn't have a flashlight and didn't use her cell phone's lightning either. But instead, she had her gun out and pointing on the ground. Neither reporter knew what they were going to encounter down there and so they needed to take every precaution the two of them could. It was only until they reached the lowest level that Iris started to wonder that maybe they shouldn't be the ones down there investigation alone. If anything were to happen to them no one could find them –except perhaps Kara with her X-ray vision and that only if she knew where she was looking.

"Are you sure that we are looking at the right place?" Iris whispered.

"This particular source is always right." Lois replied without pausing.

She kept the flashlight pointing on the rampaged ground. The old subway station was destroyed, blown up and never reconstructed again. Lois almost lost her footling on a couple of concrete pieces that had broken off from the walls and had large, sharp irons coming off them. Lois had worn her running shoes and even let Iris borrow a pair for that reason, but the dust and the scrubbed liming made it slippery. Then, suddenly, Lois paused and turned behind to confront Iris.

"You are scared!" she pointed out.

"Aren't you?" Iris shrugged not denying that it was true.

And Lois confirmed it by nodding. "Of course I am scared. But that has never stopped me before."

"I'm just worried that this time we are in over our heads." Iris sighed. "I mean, what if we do find this Parademon if it sees us we are dead."

Lois knew that Iris was right. But she had always been reckless in her investigations and more so now that Clark was there with her. Sometimes she even wondered if she had a death wish. "That's why you have the gun."

"I'm not sure how much help it can be. From what Barry told me, Olive shot one of them with an arrow through the heart and it did nothing."

Lois' eyes widened. "That could be a problem." She acknowledged. "We'll just be extra careful not to be seen, okay?"

Iris gave her one last look before sighing, giving in. "Fine! But you better keep your word because I don't want to be the one to tell Superman how you died."

Lois agreed quickly and they resumed their hunt.

"What is this place anyway?" Iris couched.

"It used to be a subway station."

"What happened?"

"The Joker." Lois said simply.

She didn't see the shocked look on Iris' face. If she had, she would've laughed. "I thought the Joker was in Gotham keeping Batman busy."

"Oh, he was." Lois confirmed. "But Superman needed Batman's help in one of those rare occasions the two of them teamed up. This time they took longer and Batman hadn't been seen in Gotham for weeks." She continued her story. "So the Joker got bored or jealous –I don't know which- that the Dark Knight was spending all his time in Metropolis, so he decided to come after him here. No one knew what was happening until this place exploded. Six hundred people died that day."

"That is awful." Iris said speechless.

"I know." Iris heard Lois sigh. "Anyway, they decided to leave the station abandoned and not rebuilt it because of how many people died here."

"It's a shame. They could've rebuilt it as a memorial to those who died."

Lois spared a sad look at her friend. "I think they just wanted to forget that it ever happened."

Iris wanted to object again, but something caught her eye and stopped her. Lois saw the horrified look on her face and turned around to see a glimpse of the Parademon moving in one of the destroyed hallways. Automatically they both pushed their finger to the mouth telling one another to be quiet. Then Lois waved with her hands to follow the alien.

And they did. Quietly. They followed the Parademon even lower until they reached a part that was filled with water. They stopped in a corner and watched the Parademon move. Now that they had a much better look, both could see how horrific it looked.

"Oliver wasn't kidding about how disgusting they are."

Lois agreed. "What is that thing it has in its hands?"

But it was a little far and too dark to see what it was. But they both saw the Parademon place it on a wall.

"For Darkseid!" it said.

And then it died.

#

J'onn still wasn't sure if he should be meeting the person from the message. He was here now, however, so he supposed he should get it over with. On the rooftop at Jitters, Lyla Diggle waited for the Martian to arrive. She too wasn't sure if the other would come considering the way she delivered the message. She certainly wouldn't have. However, she was pleasantly surprised when a figure flew and landed a couple of feet in front of her.

J'onn was in his Martian form while he was flying, but he changed back into Hank as soon as he landed.

"Director Michaels, I had a feeling it was you." J'onn greeted Lyla.

Lyla smiled at him and moved closer. "It's good to see you, Director Jones." She greeted back. "I wasn't sure if you'd come."

"I wasn't sure either." J'onn confirmed.

"Well, I'm glad you did."

"Why so much secrecy? The message you left me has me worried. What is going on?"

Lyla decided to get right to the chase. "The President had a secret meeting with me, and Generals Lane and Wade. He has ordered us to bring in the League by any means necessary. And dispose of them if we can't."

"What?!" J'onn blinked shocked.

"I know it's a lot to take in and I didn't dump all this on you very smoothly, but we don't have a lot of time." Lyla said urgently.

"I know, I know." J'onn agreed still trying to wrap his head around what she told him.

They had talked about it with the others since the beginning. But it had been two years ago and since nothing happened at first, the idea that the government could pose as a threat to them was put in the far back of their minds. Why now of all times, J'onn wondered.

"We have to warn the others."

"Of course," Lyla agreed. "But it can't be me. The President already gave me orders to invade Star City, I can't look suspicious, it would compromise my position at ARGUS."

I understand." J'onn nodded. "I'll tell them. You have already risked your position. Damn it!" he cursed. "This couldn't have happened in a worse timing."

Lyla gave him a confused look. "Why?" she asked.

"Because have the League in of this Earth." He explained. "They went to Earth-19 to help out someone."

"Cisco's girlfriend." Lyla realized. "I know things." She shrugged. "Still, whoever remained on Earth-1 has to prepare for an attack."

J'onn nodded again. "I'll tell them right away."

"You have to be careful too, J'onn. From what I could tell, the President gave me the expression that he wants to replace you. So, take care. I can't stay any longer."

#

Captain David Singh was staring at Allen's request for some personal days. David didn't believe him for a second. He had, however, agreed. Ever since he put two and two together about Allen secretly being the Flash, David had revisited all the times the CSI had been absent from work. And now, he double checked for a different meaning behind the random disappearing acts and requests for leave of absence. Sometimes he cursed the moment he found out the truth. Because, honestly, how could he deny Allen to be a superhero? And it didn't even stop to Barry. Steadily, David had pieced together the real identities of the other superheroes that Allen hung out with and was mostly certain that he was correct in most of them. So, the Captain really wondered if it was better when he was blissfully blind to all of this.

His answer was mostly answered when Joe West walked into his office. "Captain, can I ask you a question?" Joe asked politely.

No way Joe didn't know who the Flash is, David thought. "Of course, Joe."

"Do you know what the army is doing outside Central?"

David blinked hard. "The army is outside of Central?" he heard himself wonder.

Joe nodded. "Yes, Iris was traveling back from Metropolis by train and saw a bunch of soldiers camping in the outskirts. But I'm guessing you don't know anything about that."

"No," he shook his head. "I was not aware that the army was conducting any form of activity. If it's true then the general needed to contact me to set a perimeter or to at least be aware of their presence, specifically because it's so close to the city." he said, but then he realized something. "Unless whatever they're doing is unauthorized."

"That's what I was thinking." Joe agreed. "What do we do, Captain?"

For a brief moment, David almost told Joe to contact the Flash, but he caught himself. He noticed Joe's hands twitching nervously. David guessed that the detective was aching to call his foster son too. Was that why Allen asked for some day's off? It could be. From what he had seen, the Flash hadn't had good encounters with the army in the past. Singh wondered if the new general was trying to capture the Flash too. David sighed. This was just too complicated.

"I'll have to go talk to the general. See if he can tell me what they're doing."

"Uh, do you need me to come with?" Joe asked nervously.

David took a look at him. He guessed Joe wanted to run off and tell Barry and perhaps his merry band of Superheroes everything. So he didn't press him. It would make Joe's lie easier.

"No, I'll be fine, Joe. Thanks for bringing this to my attention."

"You're welcome, Captain." Joe replied before stepping out of his office.

#

Winn was working through STAR labs to keep the Fort as long as Cisco and Felicity were having their escapades with the others. It felt weird being the sole person in the laboratory. Kendra and Carter had come in the morning but didn't stay long and Ray and Sara were gone to Star City and expected a call from him if they were needed. That left Winn in his lonesome. So no one really could blame him when all of a sudden J'onn rushed into the cortex.

"Where's the fire?" Winn squealed.

"Funny you put it that way." J'onn commented. "Call the others here. Right now!" he urged.

Winn's eyes widened upon J'onn's urgency. "All of them?" he wondered.

The Martian nodded. "Every single one that is still on this Earth."

Winn nodded quietly and send the alert on the League's phones. In just a few minutes Star City responded with Sara, Rene and Ray walking into the cortex.

"What are we dealing with Winn?" Sara went straight into leader mode. "J'onn!" she acknowledged just a bit surprised that the Martian was there. Even if he was technically official part of the League, J'onn often put his responsibilities as a D.E.O director first and missed missions. She welcomed him input nonetheless.

"I think we should wait for everyone." J'onn said.

And they didn't have to wait long.

"We got your alert, Winn." National City came to aid too.

"We're here." Kendra announced after she and Carter flew in. "What is the problem, Winn?"

"I can answer that question better." J'onn said instead of Winn. "Your friend Lyla from ARGUS warned me that President Spiner has ordered your capture and is using the army and ARGUS to accomplish that."

"You can't be serious!" Sara groaned.

"Lyla told me that general Eiling is headed to Central City and general Lane to National."

"I really hate Lane." Alex growled.

"And let me guess, ARGUS is in charge of bringing in the vigilantes in Star City." Sara stated not really needing confirmation.

"Correct." J'onn told her anyway.

"Well," Sara sighed. "If Lyla warned us then I'm guessing she is not following orders. Most likely she'll wait until we deal with Lane and Eiling and then use their defeat to get out of coming after us."

"You're right." Alex agreed. "She can use it to her advantage, say that we will be expecting an attack because of Eiling and Lane to at least postpone."

"So, how do we deal with two army generals?" Rene asked for everyone.

"I think first we need to track them." Winn suggested. "We need to know where they are to estimate how much time we have to prepare."

"None!" Joe West's voice echoed in the cortex.

The detective was clearly winded due to how fast he had been running to come to the lab. He was worried that he wouldn't be on time to want the team but as he witnessed right in front of him they were already in the loop.

"Iris called me. She said she saw soldiers camped in the outskirts of Central and when I asked Singh about it, he had no idea."

"That is not good." Alex said.

"They could be on the move as we speak." Rene agreed.

They didn't like this. They didn't like this at all. And with half the team away, they were more vulnerable than ever.

"You guys need to come up with a plan fast." Joe suggested.

"Should we call the others to come back?" Rey suggested.

But Sara quickly shook her head. "No, they are needed there. Besides, it's why we stayed back. To protect our cities while the others are on Earth-19."

"I say we attack fast." Carter suggested. "They are planning for a way to capture us, but they don't know that we know that. It'll surprise them."

"I like that idea." Sara smiled pleased.

"Do we stay together or split up?" Kendra asked.

"I don't know if it's useful but Eiling used to be obsessed with metahumans." Joe stated. "He has tried capturing the Flash, Firestorm and even Grodd multiple times."

"Then he is after the metahumans." Alex said. "We could use that actually. We assume that Eiling wants to capture the Flash and by extension all other metas since they all operate in Central City. And Lane is most likely after the aliens."

"But there are no metahumans in Central right now." Rene argued.

"They don't know that." Alex said smartly.

J'onn hummed skeptically. "If we assume right, then Eiling will have weapons meant for taking down metas and Lane will have weapons for aliens."

"Then we flip the situation." Alex spoke again. "If we sent Mon-El or you Eiling's weapons won't have an effect on you."

"Neither to us." Carter said. "We technically aren't metahumans. Our abilities come from a comet and a curse."

"But what about Lane?" James asked. "If he had alien technology, who is going to stop him?"

"He'll be expecting to find Supergirl and Mon-El. But he'll never see vigilantes attach him." Sara said smartly. "And I just thought of the perfect weapon to use against them. Before I died and came back as White Canary, I used sonic spheres to disorient my opponents. When my sister became the Black Canary she had Cisco modify so she could wear it around her neck and activate it with her scream producing a sound like Dinah's." she smirked.

"That could do some pretty good damage." Alex said impressed.

Sara smirked again. "'Okay team, this is how it's going to go down. Eiling is expecting the Flash. We are going to give him that in the form of J'onn. Mon-El and Kendra will go with him. Eiling won't know what hit him. The rest of us will go to National City."

#

Captain David Singh didn't have much luck with Eiling. Truth be told he hated the guy even more every time he saw him. One thing was clear to him, however, the general was up to something. He wished he had the Flash's number so that he could call him and have the speedster take a look himself. He cursed inside his head. That's why he had suggested to Barry the League made a place they could be found and take requests. Nothing of sort had happened until now, however. If there was such a thing, then David wouldn't have a problem right now.

But maybe luck was on his side. He was leaving when he saw a soldier running to general Eiling and telling him that the Flash had been spotted running towards their direction. David guessed that Joe had warned Barry after all. He was also curious to hear the confrontation between the hero and the shady general. So, David found an empty tent to hide in.

After one of his soldiers had delivered the news, Eiling started cursing all the Gods and demons. That hadn't been part of the plan. Eiling wasn't ready to confront the speedster yet. How had Allen found out about him anyway?

Eiling forced himself to calm down. Panicking wasn't going to help him in any way. Perhaps this was a good thing. Maybe, if he played his cards right he could capture the Flash faster than originally programmed.

His time was up when a red blur stopped in front of him and the Flash stared back at Eiling red suit, green judgmental eyes and everything.

"General, Eiling." J'onn said disguised as the Flash.

"Hello, Flash!" Eiling replied with a sinister look. "Long time no see."

"Not long enough." J'onn had become aware of Barry's relationship with the general after Joe had let him see it in his head. "What are you up to, Eiling. I know it's nothing good."

The general chuckled instead. "I don't know what you are talking, Flash. We are just preparing to conduct training exercise.

J'onn-Flash scoffed. "Last time you 'conducted a training exercise' it was just a cover to capture Bette San Souci. And let me remind you the times you tried to capture Firestorm and myself and that one time you took Professor Stein and tortured him. So I'll ask again. What are you up to, Eiling?"

Eiling smirked smugly at him. There was no point denying him the truth. "It's funny you mentioned all those failed attempts to get my hands on real metahumans. This time our weapons are more efficient." And then, moving super fast for a regular human, Eiling shot a dart at the Flash. "The chemicals inside that dart prevents you from using your speed and make you fall in a blushful sleep. You belong to me now, Flash."

But the Flash was not going down as his scientists had reassured him. Instead, Barry Allen's smile morphed into one that didn't suit him at all.

"I'm afraid you've been played, general." J'onn changed from the Flash's form to his natural one. "These darts do nothing on me."

Eiling only had a moment to look shocked. On cue, Mon-El and Hawkgirl flew to help J'onn apprehend Eiling's soldiers. Between the two invisible aliens and Kendra's magic mace, all weapons got destroyed fast. Seeing that he was fighting a losing battle, Eiling tried to flee. He was stopped, however by Kendra, who knocked her mace on his head knocking him out cold. Both men gave her an impressed look.

"Note to self; don't piss of Kendra." Mon-El joked.

"What should we do with him?" she chose to ignore Mon-El.

"We should take him to STAR labs and lock him in the pipeline. We need to ask him questions when the others return."

In National City, General Lane had chosen to set his base in the desert. The D.E.O base that was there had been long abandoned and so lane thought that no one would notice them there. However, as Eiling in Central City, he was too surprised when all of a sudden a piercing sonic sound deafened them all. The next moment, his soldiers started getting shot with tranquilizers. Wild Dog, Guardian and Alex were shooting the soldiers, while Sara used the sonic device to immobilize them by piercing their ears. That left Rey and Hawkman to destroy the weapons they had. Carter used his mace and Rey either use his laser beam or he made himself really small and entered the weapons to destroy them from the inside. The operation was done and over with pretty quickly considering they had taken them by surprise. They left Lane for last on purpose. Alex neared the general with a smug grin on her face.

"You never learn, do you, General Lane?" she smirked at him.

Alex's face was the last thing he saw before she knocked him out.

#

Over on Earth-19 despite his displeasure Breacher led the Earth-1 team in his office so that they could talk in private. Gypsy felt pleased with her father's decision and so had followed eagerly along with her partner. Breacher's office was not big enough. He, Gypsy and Accelerated man walked in first, followed by Barry, Kara, Oliver and Cisco.

"You should probably stay out here, in case Brecher's officers decide to move against us after all." Oliver advised Dinah.

The Black Canary agreed easily with his line of thought, so she stood back with Firestorm, Zatanna, Caitlin and Felicity. "You got it." She gave him a nod.

Pleased, Oliver stepped inside the office and closed the door.

"What's going on?" it was Jax who asked,, confused by the two vigilantes interaction.

Dinah waved for her friends to come closer before she whispered her reply. "Oliver think we should stay out here and keep watch in case _they_ -" she pointed with her eyes at the Earth-19ers try anything."

"I hadn't thought about that." Jax confessed. "Good thinking."

"That's Oliver for you." Felicity said with a hint of pride she didn't try to hide.

Dinah nodded her head. "Stay vigilant." She advised. "And maybe you Caitlin should let Frost take control."

Caitlin was about to suggest the same thing, but the Black Canary beat her to it. She let Frost take over without complaint and dove into a deep sleep. When Caitlin's eyes started to glow, the rest knew that Frost had control over the body. The ice queen took in her surrounding and the unknown people lined up as her appearance slowly changed. The collectors of Earth-19 started murmuring kind of spooked and their eyes stared at the meta. Dinah, Felicity, and Zatanna only smirked at their responses. Once completely transformed into her icy form, Frost gave her teammates a respectful nod. One that was mirrored back to her. The four of them and Felicity turned and sent a not-shit look at the collectors. No one was going to get past them and they made sure the look on their faces made that clear.

Inside the office now, Breacher grunted as he sat behind his desk and stared diminishingly each member of the League. Gypsy felt like sighing at her father's attacks. The partner, however, was just curious. He knew Cynthia well enough because they were partners and their job required for them to be transparent with each other. Still, it had taken her a lot of time to finally open up about her adventures on Earth-1. Accelerated man knew the basic about the people she interacted with and the missions they accomplished together. Back then, she had spoken highly of the team of Earth-1 making them sound equal fighters with morality. He had warned her, though, not to get too involved with them since he knew the consequences if her father found out. He himself was not interested in seeking out team Flash's help or was infatuated with meeting them. He only held a sense of respect due to Gypsy's words. It was after Breacher discovered Cynthia's relationship with Vibe and forced her to break it up that his partner finally opened up more. She was clearly in love with Vibe, so much he could tell. However, he couldn't give her much useful advice. Gypsy's situation was unique and beyond complicated. All his life he had been taught that other Earths were their enemies. But from what Cynthia had told him, he couldn't see how that was the case with Earth-1. For the first time in his life, he was conflicted.

And now, that he had those very people from Earth-1 in front of him; he could finally make his own opinion. Perhaps what they've been taught was wrong all along. He was also very interested to see their speedster operate –with him being one as well.

"So, what do you know, Vibe?" Breacher's grumbled shook him out of his thoughts.

He watched as the short man, Vibe, licked his lips before addressing the head of the collectors with confidence. "I was trying to catch a vibe using some rare dream routs to enhance my visions. But my vibe was intercepted by my counterpart of Dark-Earth who was trying to vibe your Earth at the same time as me."

"And how do you know that it was your Dark-Earth doppelganger?" Breacher challenged.

Cisco bit his tongue to keep himself from snarling and then replied calmly. "I confronted him about it and he didn't deny it."

"What did you two talk about?" Gypsy asked him before her father could.

"He said that Earth-19 –your Earth- has something that belongs to Red Death."

"That is absurd." Breacher immediately said dismissively. "No one comes in or out of our Earth without us knowing."

"Well, that's what he said, okay." Cisco shot back. "He said that they will come in three days to get whatever that is and we better have it or else they will be forced to invade and find it themselves no matter the cost. That was yesterday, we have two more days left."

Silence surrounded the office after that. They were all shocked, more the Earth-19ers. Even Breacher couldn't dismiss Cisco's words at the moment. And now Gypsy knew how she came to die. In the vision Cisco had, they hadn't been able to find what Red Death came looking for and that was the consequence of their failure. But how could they know what the Speedster wanted?

"If what you said about knowing if someone comes and leaves your Earth, then how can we know what Red Death wants if you haven't got a clue?" Kara asked for everyone.

"I don't know." Gypsy shrugged feeling desperate. "But there has to be a way to find out."

"When you told us his story, you said that Red Death doesn't get involved with the Multiverse, that he keeps his Earth separate." Barry spoke.

"That's right." Gypsy confirmed.

"Then whatever he is after originally comes from Dark-Earth."

"But we would've been able to vibe if something or someone breached from another Earth." Gypsy countered.

"Then you must have missed it." Barry insisted.

"We need to dive into Red Death's motivations to find out what it is he wants." Oliver said smartly.

"His motivation is anger and vengeance." Accelerated man spoke for the first time. "He made the Regime to avenge his former teammates for betraying him and letting him rot in prison wrongfully. And that anger drove him to wipe out every single hero on his Earth and practically dominate it in order to never happen to anyone what happened to him."

"And I suppose he didn't go after those heroes himself but sent his lackeys."

"Yes…" he responded not sure where Oliver was going with this.

"But he is coming here personally." Barry added to the conversation. "Whatever is on your Earth must be very personal to him, otherwise why bother coming to collect it himself and not just sent a few Regime members?"

"Maybe it's something to do with his imprisonment." Kara suggested. "I don't see a more personal reason."

"But what?" Gypsy wondered.

"I know what he is after." Oliver suddenly realized. "Or rather, who."

All sets of eyes fell on him waiting for the epiphany.

"Please, don't keep us in suspense." Cisco rolled his eyes almost sarcastically.

Oliver looked around him. "He is looking for the only person that betrayed him that got away. Batman!"

A pregnant moment passed when everyone had a look of disbelief on their faces.

"How could we not have vibed Batman entering our Earth?" Gypsy wondered out loud.

"He could be using some kind of technology to hide his significant frequency." Cisco guessed.

"It doesn't matter." Kara shook her head. "What's important is how we find where he is."

"Should you try vibing him?" the other speedster said.

"It's no use. If we haven't vibed him until now, we won't be able to." Gypsy shot his idea now.

"There is another way." Barry said skeptically. "Remember when Zoom brought his army in Central City and we used the satellite to shot down a specific frequency that paralyzes everyone from Earth-2?" he asked Cisco.

Cisco's eyed widened and he grinned for a moment before his smile faltered. "There's one problem with that. We don't have the frequency that people from Dark-Earth vibrate."

"And we don't have satellites." Breacher grunted.

Cisco stared bewildered at him. "How can you not have satellites?!" he demanded.

Breacher shrugged. "We rely on our powers, we don't need machines to do our jobs."

"Actually, it would make our jobs so much easier." Gypsy told him.

"Even if we had a satellite and we knew the frequency of Dark-Earth, Batman could still be anywhere on the planet." Kara pointed out.

It was a very valid point. Barry hadn't thought about that when he first suggested the plan. But he was hit with an idea.

"It could still work." He told them hopefully.

"How?" Oliver asked.

Barry was all too happy to elaborate. "The Vibes can replicate what the satellite was supposed to do. Each of you three will move to a specific part on Earth and then oppose the vibrational blasts from your hands against each other. The vibrations will collide and bounce off each other creating the effect we want. Then a speedster should search quickly for that person that is experiencing pain." He explained. "The only catch is that we have to wait until the Regime arrives to get their frequency."

"It's far stretched but it could work." Oliver said after some thought.

"I can try going as fast as I can, but I can't guarantee that it'll be fast enough. Accelerated man said. "Won't you lend a hand?" he asked Barry.

The Flash sighed. "Red Death is my doppelganger. I'll try to talk to him into delaying an attack as long as you are searching for Batman."

"I don't like this, but we don't have many options." Breacher said.

"I guess we just have to wait for them to arrive." Cisco continued.

Just then Dinah entered the office panicked. "We don't have to wait. They're here!"

Everyone's eyes widened. "They are early!" Cisco gasped.

They followed the Black Canary outside where all of them could clearly see a huge breach open.

And then the Regime jumped through.

 **Next: confronting the Regime.**

 **For those of you that expected an action full chapter, sorry, I wanted to give you a very good fight between the League and the Generals, but the chapter got too long and I got scared. No worries, though, the next chapter will have a very impressive battle. I have so many ideas in my head of how it could go and I'm very excited to put it in words.**

 **Until next time! Thank you for reading and supporting this story.**


	55. Crisis on Earth-19

**Here it is guys, the battle with the Regime is here. I just want to say I had a blast writing this, although it didn't go as I had planned. The fight was supposed to be a little different and there should be two more parts that took place on Earth-1. But because this got way too long those parts are going to be in the next chapter. Well, I'm still very proud of this, so I hope you like it too. Let me know in the comments.**

Chapter 55

 _Earth-19_

The Flash was the first one outside to greet the Regime. Soon after Supergirl landed gracefully by his side not making much noise. The two of them took in the force of the Dark Earth. The Regime was very big. Barry could see Captain Cold, Heatwave, Golden Glider, and Mirror Master, and Weather Wizard, and Top amongst the familiar faces of his own team's doppelganger. And in the center of it all Red Death and Red Daughter stared back at him and Supergirl. Barry and Kara felt the energy of two breaches behind them. And then the rest of their team walked out of Cisco's breach, while the collectors walked out of Gypsy's. Cisco, Oliver, Frost, they all came face to face with their doppelgangers. Dinah saw Laurel smirk back at her from her Oliver's side. And Jax faced for the first time Stein's other half before him –Ronnie. Neither party moved; both teams simply engaged in a staring competition. It was Barry who broke the cycle again. He took a couple of steps forward – a move that made the Regime tense. But before things could escalate, Barry took off his mask showing off his familiar face. The Regime didn't relax, but Red Death did. Barry thought he heard him chuckle but didn't offer to take off his mask.

"We should talk." He shouted.

He hoped the Red Death would grant him this request. If he could talk this out without bloodshed then he could at least try. Red Death nodded without speaking out loud and made a move to distance himself from the rest of his team. Seeing this Barry followed his doppelganger. Only he wasn't the only one. The Dark-Earth's version of Kara followed the two speedsters to keep a watchful eye on her father. Kara mirrored her action when she saw her fly. They didn't step in the bubble of the two speedsters, but they stayed far enough to hear if they needed to interfere.

Cisco walked to his doppelganger and offered him his hand. This rock star version of Cisco scanned him with his eyes from top to bottom and only then offered his hand in return for a handshake.

"You are here early," Cisco said with accusation in his voice. "I thought we had two more days."

His double's face remained stoic. "Things changed." Was all he offered in exchange.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cisco demanded.

The other Cisco didn't offer a reply. He just shrugged and continued staring at Cisco. Vibe glanced at their hands shaking and felt the connection being created. He couldn't hold the hand for too long or he'd run the risk of suspicion. So he let it go, hand falling on the side, and hoped that this contact was enough to do what they needed.

" _I got communications working."_ Felicity's voice echoed in his ear. _"These ancient people might not have satellites, but I don't need one to talk to you."_ She continued complaining.

It made Cisco chuckle with her banter. "I hope you don't want us to chat." He told his doppelganger. "My girlfriend needs me back inside." He pointed at the building above his shoulder with his thumb. "You know how women can be." He chuckled.

Fortunately, the other Cisco chuckled too. "I do know."

Cisco nodded at him one last time before breaching inside the Collectors' headquarters where Gypsy, Breacher and Accelerated Man were waiting for him.

"I heard that!" Gypsy narrowed her eyes on Cisco.

"And how was I supposed to get away from him?" he squealed in defense.

"This doesn't matter," Breacher told the two of them. "Did you get what we need?"

"I hope so." Cisco sighed.

"Then let's go."

Green Arrow and Black Canary stood close to each other much like their Dark-Earth counterparts. Well, in Oliver's case. Dinah, on the other hand, wasn't dealing with herself but Laurel once again. The two pairs eyed each other curiously. Oliver of Dark-Earth was dressed in a suit similar to one of his own. Sleeveless, with a hood and yellow lining. But the green was much lighter than he ever wore. It was also the fact that this Oliver was sporting a very long beard. This Laurel was pretty bold in Dinah's opinion. And by bold, she meant that she loved her body. Laurel Lance of Dark Earth showed as much skin as a hooker. She wore a corset for starters and very –very- short shorts with fishnets of all things. Dinah felt her cheeks blushing just by looking at her.

"This is so bizarre." Dark Oliver said eyeing the pair.

"Indeed!" the other Oliver agreed shortly. "I see you are working for Barry."

"So are you."

"Yes, but our Barry is not a tyrant." He pointed out.

His doppelganger shrugged. "I understand why you see it that way." His wife replied. "We did too until we saw firsthand that what he is doing is for the best interest of humanity."

"You mean until he kidnapped your son." Dinah shot back.

"Barry gave us a choice," Laurel said passionately. "He was never going to harm our child. We knew that."

"You have clearly made up your mind." Oliver more like stated.

His doppelganger nodded. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, ain't that right?"

Firestorm and Frost was another pair that had teamed together. For Jax, it was the first time he was seeing Ronnie Raymond – or at least a version of him. Although Stein had told him a lot of stories about his previous partner, Jax had never seen the man's appearance. Not even in a photograph. Jax had once gone to the cemetery and stood above Ronnie's grave to sent his respects and promise him that he was going to look after the Professor. That was just before they joined Rip Hunter on the Waverider.

Frost, on the other hand, was familiar with Caitlin's husband. Ronnie was one of the rare people Frost actually liked. He was the reason she had talked so long to take control of the body she shares with Caitlin. Ronnie was a warmth unlike anything she had ever felt. However, this man in front of her was not Caitlin's Ronnie –not her Ronnie. This Ronnie was just as cold as the version of Killer Frost next to him, despite literally being on fire. She was surprised by her own doppelganger too. Now don't get her wrong Frost loves her death metal too –despite Caitlin's hatred over that particular music or any music at all- but she could never picture herself going as far as shaving half of her head –even back in the day when she had joined Savitar and had Caitlin locked up in a mental cage. This Killer Frost and Deathstorm didn't speak, just snigger and stare. So they decide to do the same.

" _I don't think it's wise to engage with the other Firestorm if there's a fight, Jefferson."_ Stein said inside Jax's head.

"Why not?" he frowned.

" _Because we both harness nuclear energy. Can't you see how badly this could go?"_

Jax cursed. "You are right, Grey. We could nuke the entire city."

" _If we're lucky."_ The professor pressed.

"Nice suit!" Kara complimented her younger doppelganger.

It was true, Dark Kara's suit was so much different than the one she wore. For one thing, it was white with pants instead of a skirt, complemented with red boots and a cape. Another difference was that the suit was sleeveless and the neck tall. But more importantly the emblem she wore on her chest wasn't the House of El. Instead, inside the diamond shape, a gold lightning bolt had taken the place of the 'S'.

"Thanks," her doppelganger said. "I'm not much of a skirt person," she pointed at Supergirl's skirt. "But I like your hair."

Kara let her hand catch a lock of her long golden hair on instinct. The younger Kara had short, straight hair cut in a short frame.

"I always had long hair. Never cut them in my life."

"So what do you call yourself; Superwoman?"

Kara giggled and shook her head. "Supergirl, actually. Though I wanted to go with Superwoman, but the people named me and it stuck."

"I know what that is like." Young Kara agreed. "I wanted to call myself Powergirl, but the others from the Regime started calling me Red Daughter and it stuck." She sighed dramatically.

"Because of Red Death?" Kara asked although she knew the answer.

"Yes," She eyed Supergirl, but her gaze didn't stay on her long before it averted. "He looks so young." She said softly looking at Barry – the Earth-1 Barry that is.

"Yours looks older. You seem very protective of him." She pointed out.

"So are you."

Kara shrugged smiling as she looked at the two Barrys, young and old. "He is my super friend."

"He is my father."

Red Death's suit was just as scary as Zoom's. Besides the obvious color difference with Zoom's being total black and Red Death's being a red in the shade of blood, the suits were pretty similar in design. The cowl more than the other parts, it went over his face and the lightning bolts Barry's Flash suit had on each ear were larger traveling till the jaw and up above the head. The rest of the suit was pretty cut and dry. The only thing that popped out instead of the color was the two mirrored lightning bolts on his chest. Red Death took off his cowl too and Barry found himself looking at the aged green eyes of his own.

"You look so young." Older Barry's voice was raspy.

Barry licked his lips still taking in the slightly older version of himself. It didn't matter how many times he encountered other versions of himself, it still felt odd looking at another person wearing his face.

"You are early." He simply pointed out.

"I got impatient." Red Death said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Impatient to kill Batman, right?" Barry accused. "That's what you want, right?"

At this Red Death looked a bit impressed. "So you know. And yet, I don't see him here. Cisco told yours what would happen if you didn't have him when we arrived."

"You have to give us more time. You came early and we are still looking. We ourselves just arrived a few hours ago."

For a moment Red Death remained deadly silent, a thoughtful expression overtook his face. "Alright, you can have more time. But we are not leaving."

"Fair enough." Barry agreed. "Let me ask you something. What are you going to do when you have Batman?"

"What do you think?" Red Death challenged. When he got nothing from Barry he chuckled. "Let me guess, you want me to spare him. Lock him up and end this vicious cycle of death I've been spreading around all these years."

Barry shrugged. His doppelganger wasn't wrong, that's exactly what he would've said. "Don't you think it time for you to let the pain behind and move forward?"

Red Death chuckled again. "So innocent, so hopeful, so willing to see the good in people. I was just like you. Before I was betrayed." He said softly and then shook his head. "I'm guessing you know what happened to me."

"More or less."

"And you judge me for the things you've heard I've done. But you haven't been through what I have and you haven't felt what I've felt. I don't blame you, like I said I was you; I would've thought the exact same thing. We've both been naïve about how the world really works. We held this idea that mankind can be more than just animals slaughtering each other. Foolish ideals of a dreamer. Humans are only capable of one thing; destroying one another, enjoy other people's pain. That's what humans do and history is proof of that."

"So you keep them in check? You rule the world and keep everyone safe?" Barry demanded.

Red Death pierced his eyes into him. "Exactly!"

"And what about free will? People have the right to make their own choices, their own decisions. Who are you to tell them how to live their lives?"

There was a sparkle of anger underneath Red Death's skin. But it was gone as soon as it appeared. "I'm the one keeping them from destroying the world. Free will is an illusion. It's a weapon that in the wrong hands causes great evil. It should have never been given to us."

Barry felt at loss of words by what he was hearing. How could he think like that? Not even Savitar was this far gone when they fought.

"You can't see it now." Red Death continued softly. "I didn't either. But think about this, power and corruption waltz together."

Barry shook his head. "Not every human is corrupted." He disagreed.

"Not enough aren't. Tell me Flash, when your team finds Batman are you going to give him to me or are you going to fight me?"

Fortunately or unfortunately, Barry never got the chance to answer.

"Dad, look out!" Red Daughter yelled.

Barry saw her blast her heat vision at someone on their side. Kara had a bewildered look on her face. She clearly was caught by surprise too.

"He tried to kill you!" Red Daughter accused passionately.

Red Death's eyes darkened and he glared at Barry. "Your time is up. You just started a war."

Oliver was the first to realize that a fight with the Regime could not be avoided after all. If only he had seen the moron who tried to assassinate Red Death. Until this point, Barry seemed to have had him handled.

"We can't let the fight spread more in the city. Zatanna!" he gave an unspecific order through the comms Felicity had fixed.

Zatanna, bless her soul, got the message and didn't need to be told of a specific plan. Immediately after she heard Oliver she cast a protective seal around the area of the two teams. No one was getting in or out until she lifted the spell.

"Good job!" she heard Oliver again which made her smile.

Her smile fell when she saw who she was up against; the Hawks.

"Please, don't do this!" Barry pleaded to Red Death.

"I'm not doing anything, you started it!" he fired back."I should have done this from the beginning."

He went to move but Barry planted himself in front of him. Red Death chuckled. "Don't be stupid, you can't stop me."

Barry put the Flash cowl back on his face and stared deadpan at him. "I've fought other me's before."

And that was their cue to speed up, turning into yellow and orange lightning to everyone else.

Supergirl was quick to counteract Red Daughter's heat vision that was meant to vaporize the collectors of Earth-19 behind her.

"Get out of my way!" Red Daughter yelled infuriated that Supergirl had defended the people that tried to kill her father.

"I won't let you harm anyone." Supergirl told her.

Anger flustered Red Daughter's cheeks. Her nose flattered and a low growl escaped her throat. "Move or I'll make you!" she threatened.

Supergirl didn't want to risk her doppelganger blasting anyone on the ground, so without warning, she flew at super speed at her and threw her in the air. Then she followed. Red Daughter spun around like a Frisbee. She only stopped when Supergirl's fist hit her in the chest. Then she only continued to fly straight backward until her back hit the magic wall Zatanna had put up. Soon after, she felt Supergirl's arm pressing against her throat, keeping her in place.

"It's over!" Supergirl announced in the typical hero way.

Her error was that she didn't know how the Regime operated, or what fights they were used to. Her only slight warning was Red Daughter's dark giggle before she was blasted away from her. Red Daughter's heat vision hurt like hell. Kara had underestimated her younger doppelganger's strength. Supergirl fell on a streetlight succeeding in tearing it down. Supergirl threw the pile off of her and pushed her hair out of her face before flying back at her double. Red Daughter was flying down on the ground at full speed when her flight was cut short by Supergirl, who crushed into her with extreme force and brought her back up. Their collision was so fast and reckless that almost caused them to crush into Frost and Killer Frost who were fighting each other in the air traveling with ice bridges.

Frost didn't remember the last time she had a fight like this. Then again, she had never fought herself before –or another ice meta. She chased after her doppelganger one hand down to create the ice bridge and the other back to push her forward. Killer Frost aimed an ice dagger at her. She barely dogged it before firing her own at her. And they kept going like this. They circled each other, they dove down and rose back in the air, all the while firing lethal icicles at each other. But they never got close to Weather Wizard, who was in the middle of creating a tornado.

How unoriginal!

It was Firestorm who chose to confront Mardon. Jax took Stein's advice and didn't confront Deathstorm in order to avoid killing everyone on both sides. And so since he was the only one besides Supergirl who could fly, he decided to stop Mardon. Besides, he has fought him before. Firestorm blasted the whirlwind with a powerful fire blast. Mardon saw his work turning orange. Firestorm fired a couple more blasts before he was able to destroy the tornado. The power of both forces threw Weather Wizard off his post. The meta found his balance surprisingly easy, but then again he has fought with the Regime more times than he could remember. Firestorm was a quick fighter. He barely left Mardon time to recover before attacking him. The other meta only managed to avoid the first two blasts, but couldn't avoid the third. His left leg ached in pain from the burn. Huffing with anger and pain, Mardon turned his stormy eyes on Firestorm, who was preparing for another heat blast. Weather Wizard wasn't going to let it happen. He clenched his fist summoning a lightning bolt. He felt it breaching through the sky, tearing it with its brightness and landing on its target. Both Jax and Professor Stein felt the excruciating pain of the lightning bolt. The force was so strong that it managed to separate them even before they hit the ground. Jax felt like his brain was melting. He groaned and rolled over. The road her had fallen onto smelled of melted asphalt. It was only then that he realized that he couldn't hear Stein in his head. Panic settled in. Groaning he got up. Where was that crazy old man?

"We got you." He heard a gentle voice, just as two hands picked him up. "My twin has your partner."

Jax's vision cleared enough to see a young girl around twenty. She recognized her as one of the Collectors of Earth-19. Jax allowed himself to relax just a bit. At least Mardon didn't have his hands on him. Sure enough, he was in the presence of Martin, the old man being carried by a boy similar looking to the girl.

"You okay, Grey?" he asked concerned.

"Just my pride, Jefferson." The professor replied. "I should have predicted that hit from Mardon."

Jax shook his head. "It's not your fault. But second time's the charm, right?"

Both heroes reached out and formed Firestorm again. "Thanks for looking after Grey." He told the boy with gratitude.

"Wait!" the girl stopped them before Firestorm could fly off. "Let me and my brother handle Mardon."

"Are you sure?" Jax questioned.

Both of them nodded. "We are Thunder and Lightning. Our powers combined can stand against Weather Wizard." The boy replied.

"Besides, you should really help your friend over there." The girl pointed towards Zatanna, who had trouble against the Hawks.

She was sweating – Zatanna that is. The maces the Hawks used had some kind of anti-magic properties. Every spell she threw at them, they easily countered it and she could turn the road into quicksand only so many times. She was getting tired. The spells were taking a lot of her energy and damn them for not even working. She was desperate for some backup. Unfortunately, everyone was preoccupied. The Black Canaries had switched partners after they used their cries on each other causing not only them but also those around them to fall back after the sonic blast. Now Dinah was fighting Vibe. Oliver found out that both Green Arrows couldn't outmatch each other. They matched shot by shot. Not that Oliver was going to let that stop him. At some point, he switched into fighting with his bow. That was a skill his doppelganger hadn't mastered as well as he had. That's why White Canary had come in and taken over. As Oliver fought the familiar face of his friend he felt a sonic blast throw him away. Laurel had a sinister look on her face. She and Dinah might have stopped their fight but it seemed that she chose her new adversary to be him. Oliver seriously didn't know if he had it in him to fight another version of Laurel. But suddenly, a powerful force blasted her out of Oliver's way. The archer looked behind him to see another Earth-19 hero.

"Thanks," he told her shortly.

She nodded. "Your welcome. And it's the least I could do since you decided to help our Earth. I got this one, you take care of the girl in white."

Oliver nodded. "Thank you…"

"Dreamer,"

"Thank you, Dreamer."

Oliver met Sara's staff once again. The two of then continued exchanging blows with yellow and orange lightning moving around them. He couldn't see the speedsters besides their lightning, but from the looks of it, Barry wasn't doing so well.

Flash and Red Death fought around and throughout their allies and enemies. It was the most brutal fight Flash had ever been in. They were running at such speeds that they mostly fazed through their obstacles instead of going around. What Barry learned –the hard way- was that Red Death was a vicious fighter. Flash could barely keep him from beating him an inch of his life. However, he had taken too many hits to be able to stand without pain.

In the sky, Supergirl and Red Daughter continued fighting. The later caught Supergirl by the cape and spun her around. Kara turned unexpectedly and punched her under her jaw. Red Daughter swallowed the scream that threatened to escape her mouth. Wounded, she tried to fly away, but Supergirl caught her boot and threw her down. She landed on the road creating a small crater. Before she could get up Supergirl was on her pushing her down.

"Give up!" Kara ordered.

Red Daughter groaned but didn't give any indication that she was surrendering. Without warning, she got a handful of dirt and threw it in Kara's eyes. Kara cried more because of the surprise, but the second her guard was down Red Daughter took her chance and threw her off her. Turning around she blasted Supergirl with her heat vision. Then she super speeded at her only to be thrown away by Supergirl's freeze breath. Both Kryptonians standing on their feet now glared at each other. Then they got in a fight with heat vision. Red Daughter was strong and stubborn and she had unbreakable will. Supergirl, on the other hand, was more experienced and knew how to handle the levels of her powers. But even with that, Kara could feel that the fight with her doppelganger had drained enough of her strength already. But she wasn't willing to back down. The heat around increased drastically as both Kryptonians powered up even more. Kara could see that this strategy was not working. For some reason, Red Daughter was not as tired as she was. Her heat vision started to push back the more she used it. Her cells were draining from solar radiation. If only she could recharge her cells. Kara almost widened her eyes. She could recharge them.

"Felicity, I need you to activate that thing Cisco put in my suit to draw solar energy."

" _You mean the nanites solar panels?"_ Felicity asked to confirm.

"Yes, those."

It didn't take long for Felicity to do just that. The nanites activated under her command and started collecting yellow sun radiation filling Kara's drained cells. Supergirl felt a source of energy return to her. When she felt that she had enough, she pushed that energy out of her eyes overpowering Red Daughter. Her double cried out as her eyes burned due to Kara's heat blast. Supergirl stopped and rushed to her putting the younger girl in a headlock.

"Stop!" she yelled.

Only she didn't listen. Red Daughter unleashed her heat vision again. This time against her allies. Kara had no option but to thrust her head in the ground.

"Please, stop." She pleaded one more time. "Don't make me do it."

She kept the other girl's head firmly until she gave her a sign that she gave up. But she didn't.

"Let my daughter go or he dies." A deadly voice yelled loudly.

Kara knew that it was referring to her. And it was only one person who could send chills down her spine just by a mere threat. Supergirl turned her head and what she saw was horrifying. Red Death was standing above the Flash's beaten body. His clawed hand was vibrating inside Barry's chest.

"Release her and I won't rip out his heat."

Kara felt desperation creep up inside her. Her grip on Red Daughter's head loosened but didn't completely let go. Flash's eyes stared understandingly at her. He was trying to tell her something but she couldn't understand what. And then he got the one look that she could always tell by how significant it was on him. Determination. Flash turned to look Red Death right where his eyes would be.

"Your hand doesn't belong inside me!" he growled.

Then he started vibrating too. If he wasn't wearing the mask everyone would see the surprised look on his face. He increased the vibration but so did the Flash. Supergirl could only see two blurs in a match of who would vibrate faster. Sparkles started jumping from their collision. The friction and the intense vibration only caused more and more electricity to burst around. Sparkles of speedforce. Neither speedster was backing out, locked in a war of wills. Kara couldn't look at them anymore. The sparks they produced burned her eyes. Barry pushed his lips and willed himself to vibrate faster expelling Red Death's cells from his body. Until an electric blast exploded from their efforts. Supergirl and Red Daughter were thrown away by the wave of energy and so were the others, Collectors, the League and the Regime alike. The fight immediately stopped. All parties paused to stare confused and scared as to what happened. When the dust cleared Kara was able to see Flash's torn up suit. Red Death was not above him. Actually, he was nowhere near him; the blast had thrown him far away on the other side. Kara made a move towards her friend completely not caring about her doppelganger any more. From the far distance, Oliver Queen did the same, running to check up on his friend. Barry was badly burned. Kara gasped seeing the damage done to his body. She could barely hear him breathing, but she didn't know how he could survive. From behind them Frost slithered down her ice bridge and run to the speedster.

" **Move away!** " she ordered coldly.

Oliver, who had just arrived, stopped her. "You are needed on the field."

Frost glared at him. " **He needs Caitlin!** " she spat at him.

"She is right." Kara agreed moving aside.

Oliver let go of Frost's arm and the ice meta kneeled down by Barry's side. Frost raised her hands above him and let the ice cover his burns.

"Why did you do that?" Kara asked.

Frost turned her icy eyes on her. " **Because Killer Frost just did it to their Barry.** "

True enough, Kara and Oliver turned their heads and saw that Killer Frost had indeed cover Red Death's burns with her ice. Then young Kara carried him following the doctor.

"We need to get him inside." Oliver turned his attention back on Barry and Frost.

" **I'll handle that. You two need to stay out here for damage control. I'm guessing Red Daughter isn't going to be very happy about her daddy being hurt.** "

Kara and Oliver shared a look before nodding. "Go!" Kara agreed.

Frost didn't need to be told twice. She wrapped her arm under Barry's shoulders and pushed him up. Fortunately, she wouldn't have to carry his body far. Once on both feet, Frost saw a portal in front of her, leading inside the Collector's building. The lack of blue clued Frost that it wasn't Cisco who opened the portal. Frost turned around and made eye contact with Zatanna. The witch nodded her head at her giving her a knowing look. And Frost knew what it meant; _save him._ Without wasting time she carried Barry's body through the portal and called Caitlin to take over.

As it turned out Frost was right. It wasn't long after that Red Daughter walked towards them screaming her lungs out. She wanted revenge for her father. True, Red Death was not dead, but he was seriously injured.

"You are going to pay for what you did." She promised, her voice leased with hatred.

The rest of the Regime gathered around her to form an attack plan.

One of the collectors came up to Oliver. "Your leader made a stupid and reckless mistake that we are going to pay now." He spat.

Oliver snapped and reached out for his neck, but Kara stopped him. "It was one of you that made the mistake and started a war." She told to his face.

And she was right if that first collector hadn't tried to kill Red Death things would've gone very differently.

"He was still reckless. He took himself out and now we are left without a speedster." The Collector argued.

"But he took Red Death out with him." Oliver told him this time. "He was not only their leader but also their strongest weapon –except perhaps his daughter. With him out the rest of the Regime is vulnerable."

Oliver was also right on this. So this time the Collector didn't argue more. Kara picked up noise with her super hearing. She turned around and saw the Regime lining up. She guesses it's time for round two.

But before either party could make the first move, a portal opened and the Vibes came out holding a man with them. Accelerated man stopped right next to them, his purple lightning trailing behind him.

"We have him." Breacher shouted. "We have who you want."

Red Daughter eyed them with interest. "Hand him over." she demanded.

"Wait!" Kara said before Breacher could do anything. "If you give Batman to him they'll kill him as an example."

"That is not our problem." Breacher told her back. "I'll do what I have to in order to protect my home."

"The war has already started." Oliver stepped up. "They'll seek revenge even if you give him to them."

Gypsy frowned and reached out to her father. "Oliver is right. He is our only bargain chip."

Breacher sighed and groaned.

"Give him to us!" Red Daughter demanded again. "Or I'll get him of your corps."

"I'll give him to you but you have to promise that you'll leave our Earth after that."

The Kryptonian shook her head. "No! Not until the Flash pays for what he did to my father."

"Your father was ready to rip out his heart." Kara yelled.

Her double gave her a stoic look. "So?"

"So?" Kara gasped. "You don't make sense."

"He'll pay, end of-"

"Enough!" a familiar voice echoed loudly. Red Death approached slowly leaning his weight on Deathstorm and Vibe. His burns hadn't healed completely but he was getting better. "I am weak, Kara. And we didn't come here to conquer this Earth." Then he turned his eyes on Breacher. "I only want Bruce. We'll leave and never come back again."

"You promise?" Breacher asked.

"You have my word." Red Death promised.

"You can't do it, they'll kill him." Kara protested.

Oliver caught her hand. "This is not our Earth. We can't make the choices for them. They decide on their own."

Kara lowered her head and rested it in the crook of Oliver's neck. He was right. This wasn't their Earth. They didn't have the right to interfere in these matters. Its people did.

"Then you can have him." Breacher finalized.

He and Gypsy carried the passed out Bruce Wane and laid him in front of Red Death's feet. With a wave of his hands, Barry ordered Hawkman to carry the man. Then he turned to leave.

"Dad, what about the Flash?" Red Daughter demanded to know.

Barry chuckled at his daughter. "My young doppelganger fought well, smart and with passion. It was a win well deserved." Then he turned to Kara and Oliver. "Tell the Flash he is a good leader. Godspeed!" and finally he turned to his best friend. "Take us home, Cisco."

Their Vibe opened the breach at his command. And just as they came, the Regime was gone.


End file.
